Several residents of Nangarhar province are criticizing the repeated searches of their mobile phones by Taliban members. They say that nearly five years after the Taliban’s return to power, people’s privacy in this province is no longer protected. According to them, the Taliban even scrutinize individuals’ personal and family photographs, and those who refuse to hand over their mobile phones face harsh treatment. Residents say that if they argue with Taliban members, the Taliban do not listen to reason; they either raise their hands to strike or simply take the phone away. A deputy minister of information and culture in the former government says the Taliban fear their own collapse and decline, and for this reason, they seek to suppress opponents and control the flow of information. According to him, with the dominance of this “regressive and terrorizing regime,” the concept of freedom has also disappeared, and there is no longer anything that can be called freedom.
Abdullah (pseudonym), one of the residents of Nangarhar province, complains about thesearchg of mobile phones by Taliban members. He says that with the Taliban’s return to power, people’s privacy in this province is no longer protected. He says: “Although Nangarhar is a beautiful province, with the arrival of the Taliban, many things have changed and numerous problems have emerged. One of these problems is the erosion of people’s privacy.”
This Nangarhar resident adds: “When you are moving along the road or inside the city with a mobile phone in your hand, Taliban members take it, enter the private sections, and examine all the personal information. This is truly alarming. Sometimes I am even forced to leave my mobile phone at home and go out without it, because this situation exists almost all the time. And if we do not unlock the phone’s passcode for them, they take our phone away.”
Reshad (pseudonym), another resident of Nangarhar province, says that the Taliban’s Propagation of Virtue agents even carefully inspect individuals’ personal and family photographs, and if citizens refuse to surrender their mobile phones, they take them away by force. He says: “In recent months, mobile phones in Nangarhar province have been searched from time to time by the Taliban’s Propagation of Virtue agents. I do not know what the purpose of these inspections and of viewing people’s personal information is. They even look at family photographs one by one.”
This Nangarhar resident adds: “I truly feel that there is no longer any privacy for people in Afghanistan. This very situation has caused many families in Nangarhar to consider leaving Afghanistan. I do not know what the purpose of viewing our personal photographs is. And if we give them a negative answer, they take the mobile phone away.”
Idris (pseudonym) says it is unclear whether it is the Taliban’s Propagation of Virtue agents, the bodyguards, or the group’s administrative personnel who search citizens’ mobile phones. He says: “They have Kalashnikovs in their hands, and as soon as they see a mobile phone in someone’s hand, they say, ‘ Bring it so we can see what it is. If anyone resists or if their behavior seems inappropriate to them, they take the phone by force and do not return it.”
This Nangarhar resident adds: “Either they sell it themselves or they destroy it. For this reason, we are forced to unlock the phone’s passcode and hand it over to them. If you argue with them, the Taliban members do not listen to reason; they either raise their hands to strike or speak in a very stern and threatening tone.”
Meanwhile, Abdul Mannan Shiwa-i-Sharq, a deputy minister of information and culture in the former government, says that interference in citizens’ privacy through the monitoring of mobile phones by the Taliban group is, first and foremost, contrary to Islamic laws and values.
Mr. Sharq adds: “The Taliban fear their own collapse and decline, and through this, they seek to suppress opponents and control the flow of information. In a sense, they want to prevent the exchange of information. This measure demonstrates the Taliban’s oppression, tyranny, and dictatorship toward the fate and privacy of citizens; a people held hostage by forces that, contrary to all values, violate the honor and privacy of others.” In his view, such measures are an attempt by the Taliban to prevent their own collapse, but they are oblivious to the fact that in the age of technology and new media, with this kind of mindset, they cannot manage and contain information. According to him, the people of Afghanistan have realized that if they do not take steps toward informing and exchanging information, their fate will become even darker than the situation they currently face.
This former government official adds: “The expansion of surveillance and social restrictions destroys all the hopes of the people of Afghanistan, creates a kind of collective depression, and crushes the hope for freedom; meanwhile, with the dominance of this regressive and terrorizing regime, the meaning and concept of freedom has also disappeared, and there is no longer anything called freedom. The Taliban’s increasing pressure through the control of citizens’ smartphones is an example of an almost unprecedented tyranny. In no country, culture, or system does such a thing hold legitimacy. This surveillance is contrary to all laws, conventions, and Islamic and universal values, and it is being used by the Taliban against the people of Afghanistan. These measures are condemnable, deserving of denunciation, and in need of a serious struggle to bring about change toward freedom, dignity, and equality for the people of Afghanistan.”
Jawid (pseudonym), a psychologist, says that for many young people, the mobile phone is not merely a means of communication, but a part of their privacy, their individual identity, and their psychologically safe space. He says: “When a young person feels that their mobile phone may be examined without their consent, their mind enters a state of ‘constant vigilance,’ always anticipating a threat or negative consequences. This situation can cause chronic anxiety and stress, a sense of insecurity and distrust, impaired concentration, sleep problems, and a diminished sense of control over life. The more the sense of psychological security declines, the more the risk of depression, anxiety, and psychological burnout also increases.”
According to him, the feeling of constant surveillance pushes individuals toward “self-censorship” and can lead to increased anxiety, the restriction of expressing one’s views and emotions, reduced trust in others, social isolation, and psychological pressures stemming from the suppression of emotions. He adds: “In the long term, such an environment also weakens young people’s communication skills, creativity, and social participation.”
This psychologist says: “Living for a prolonged period in an environment accompanied by insecurity, constant surveillance, and restrictions on privacy can lead to reduced self-confidence, an increased fear of decision-making, the formation of overly cautious personalities, diminished creativity and critical thinking, a decline in social participation, increased emigration of the elite, and a heightened risk of anxiety disorders, depression, and psychological burnout. Of course, the severity of these consequences is not the same in everyone, and factors such as family support, healthy social relationships, and access to mental health services can reduce or intensify the negative effects. Overall, preserving psychological security and respecting privacy are fundamental factors in the healthy development of personality and the flourishing of the talents of the younger generation.”
It is worth noting that previously, residents of several provinces, including Herat, Ghazni, Laghman, and Kabul, had told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban’s Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice forces search citizens’ mobile phones.
Additionally, the Taliban have recently declared the use of smartphones in their government offices in several provinces, including Kabul, Panjshir, Farah, and Balkh, to be prohibited.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
«مبایل را بده ببینیم»؛ نگرانی باشندهگان ننگرهار از بازرسیهای اجباری طالبان
