Taliban Tortured Me for Teaching Afghan Girls Online, Says Education Activist Basir Arian

Basir Arian, an Afghan educator who set up a free online English program for girls after the Taliban banned them from school, was summoned to the Taliban intelligence directorate in Herat in May 2022. He was blindfolded and beaten so severely that his nose and jaw were broken. Arian says he knew defiance meant death, so he obeyed the order and went to the headquarters. The torture left him devastated and convinced he had to leave Afghanistan. His case highlights the Taliban's violent crackdown on girls' education and those who try to provide it. Arian's story, first reported by The Guardian, underscores the extreme risks faced by activists under Taliban rule. As international attention fades, the future for Afghan girls and their advocates remains perilous.