The two-day shutdown cut off schools, aid and livelihoods. Its return does little to ease the sweeping restrictions Afghan women face under Taliban rule
BY FRANCESCA RAPISARDA
After nearly 48 hours of nationwide blackout, internet and mobile connectivity have been restored across Afghanistan. The sudden outage, imposed by the Taliban earlier this week, had disrupted banking, transport, humanitarian aid, and communication channels.
The Taliban have not provided a formal public explanation for the shutdown, which allegedly targeted fibre-optic networks under orders from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Smriti Singh, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for South Asia, said: “With women and girls in Afghanistan banned from schools beyond primary level, internet access is critical for their education. This shutdown disrupts their ability to learn and cannot be justified under any circumstances. A total shutdown of this nature is inherently disproportionate and would fly in the face of international human rights standards.”
While the reinstatement of service relieved some immediate pressures, the blackout underscored how fragile digital access remains for women in Afghanistan, many of whom rely on online platforms to work, study, or communicate under restrictive social conditions.
Girls already barred from secondary schooling found informal and virtual alternatives abruptly severed since the outage interrupted remote classes and study groups coordinated online.
Women who had begun small digital ventures, selling handcrafts or offering freelance services, lost their customer base overnight. Digital payment systems used by NGOs and microfinance projects were delayed or rendered unusable.
The shutdown blocked access to audiences and platforms, curtailing reporting and organising capacity as well as limiting documentation of abuses and restricting emergency reporting.
Though connectivity is back, the blackout left lasting scars as many Afghans remain worried that future outages could occur without warning, undermining willingness to depend on online services.
It is unclear to what extent the restored services match previous levels of speed and reliability, and whether new censorship or filtering controls will be introduced.
The digital interruption joins a host of broader limitations on women’s rights under the Taliban’s rule, including bans on work, secondary education, and public presence.
Since seizing control in August 2021, the Taliban have banned girls from attending secondary school and women from entering universities. They have also shut down beauty salons (in 2023), banned women from gyms, parks, and public spaces, and introduced dress and conduct laws requiring women to fully veil their faces and bodies in public, including bans on their voices being heard in public or read aloud.
Women are often forbidden from working for NGOs or in many public sector roles, must travel with a male relative (mahram), and are excluded from many civic and cultural activities. These policies have been reinforced through new laws, such as the 2024 Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which expand Taliban oversight over women’s movement, dress, voice, and public behaviour.
