As we were all aware, in recent days, there had been reports of internet outages in several Afghan provinces. Yet no one expected this disruption to continue to the point where the Taliban would completely shut down telecommunications networks and block citizens from accessing the internet.
For the past two days, the Taliban have plunged Afghanistan and its people into total darkness. This action has entirely halted phone and internet communications, online businesses, and virtual classrooms.
During this time, we have been cut off from our loved ones in Afghanistan, unaware of their condition or safety. The continuation of such a situation multiplies our fears and suffocates us in a swamp of darkness and uncertainty.
The blackout of an entire nation in the age of technology is deeply alarming on one hand, and on the other, it exposes the peak of barbarity of a group that now rules over millions of people and imposes its will upon all.
Several reports have surfaced in this regard. Sarah Adams, a former CIA officer, wrote that the Taliban disrupted the internet to facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists. Meanwhile, some domestic reports suggest that the shutdown is due to internal conflicts and infighting among Taliban factions. Though these accounts differ, none can justify holding an entire nation hostage or depriving people of access to the internet and social media.
Many girls in this country, after being denied access to schools and universities and stripped of their right to work and freedom, had turned to online learning and internet-based employment, and many had achieved success in these fields. But with this decision by the Taliban, all those efforts have been reset to zero, and once again, women are deprived of their right to education and employment. This decision has no logical justification and must not continue. The international community, human rights institutions, and global organizations must take concrete action and not allow the Taliban to so easily play with the fate of millions.
Alongside all other restrictions, the Taliban have once again silenced the voice of the Afghan people. We, the protesting women of Afghanistan, over the past four years, after the streets were taken from us, have continued our civil and legal struggle through the internet and social media to make our voices heard across the world. Now, with the internet shutdown, the Taliban have suffocated the voices of millions of Afghan women and men. This is a human catastrophe and must not be ignored.
The internet blackout has paralyzed daily life. Many families relied on online trade to earn even a single piece of bread during this time of severe economic hardship. Many others depended on relatives abroad who supported them through money transfers. Now, the question is: how are these dependent families supposed to survive?
With this reckless action, the Taliban have once again shown that the lives and deaths of the people are meaningless to them. They think of nothing but their own survival, and through such restrictions, they display nothing but ignorance and cruelty. This group has never been trustworthy, and today, once again, they have silenced the people of Afghanistan and cut them off from the world.
You can read the Persian version of this news here:
قطع کامل انترنت؛ طالبان صدای میلیونها زن و مرد را خفه کردهاند
