South Asia Terrorism Portal

SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
[SAIR]

Data and assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

AFGHANISTAN

 

   

Afghan Women: The Endangered Sex
Sanchita Bhattacharya
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
 

On November 13, 2021, two female officers affiliated with the former Afghan National Army were found dead in Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province. Sources indicated that the killing took place on November 12.

On November 6, 2021, the Taliban stated that rights activist and university lecturer, Frozan Safi, was killed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh Province. Reports indicate that the woman received a call – an invitation to join an evacuation flight – and was picked up by a car, only to be found dead later. There are conflicting reports regarding the actual number of her dead associates, with some suggesting that Safi and three other women were killed, while others suggest Safi and another female were found dead.

On September 4, 2021, a pregnant Policewoman, Banu Negar, was mutilated and killed, suspectedly by the Taliban, in front of her husband and children in Firozkoh, the capital of Ghor Province.

On August 3, 2021, Taliban terrorists killed a 21 years old woman, Nazanin, in the Samar Qandian village of Balkh District in Balkh Province, for dressing ‘inappropriately.’

On July 12, 2021, a woman, identified as Najia, was killed by Taliban cadres in Faryab Province as she refused to cook for them.

These incidents are not in isolation. Though no official data is available for the period after June 30, 2021, according to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), based on open media sources, at least 15 women have been killed and two injured by insurgents since July 1, 2021 (data till November 21, 2021). These numbers, however, are likely to be gross underestimates of the true level of violence targeted against women. Indeed, the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in its 2020 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs Overview, noted,

Women across Afghanistan continue to be subject to high rates of violence related to their gender, although this remains difficult to quantify due to suspected underreporting and overall lack of data.

Meanwhile, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA’s) Afghanistan 2021 Midyear Update on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, released on July 26, 2021, at least 219 women had been killed and 508 were injured between January 1 and June 30, 2021. In the corresponding period of 2020, at least 139 women were killed and 261 injured, registering an increase of 82 per cent in overall casualties (deaths+ injuries).

Women killed by Insurgents in Afghanistan: 2010-2021

Year	Female Death
2010	98
2011	166
2012	301
2013	235
2014	298
2015	333
2016	341
2017	359
2018	350
2019	345
2020	390
2021 (till June 30)	219
Total	3435

Significantly, year 2020 recorded the maximum of 390 female fatlities in a year in insurgency-linked violence since UNAMA began systematic documentation of such data in 2010. UNAMA's 2020 Annual report noted,

Women continued to be gravely harmed by the armed conflict in a multitude of ways in 2020, including through death, injury, and sexual violence. Women also bore the brunt of the broader effects of the armed conflict which negatively impacted their enjoyment of a wide range of human rights, including freedom of movement and access to education, healthcare, and justice, and the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sex or gender.

UNAMA's Afghanistan 2021 Midyear Update on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict noted that the reasons behind violence against women included:

professional affiliation (Afghan National Police officers, penitentiary staff, judges, media professionals); accused of supporting the Government or Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), spying for ANSF; accused by the Taliban of "immoral conduct", adultery. Also, illiteracy and low levels of public awareness; outmoded patterns of marriage; corruption and abuse of state positions; women's limited access to justice; the lack of security and perceptions that violence against women is 'normal,' resulted in violence against women in Afghanistan.

Interestingly, since they took over power on August 15, 2021, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more tolerant than their global reputation suggests. In their first press conference held on August 17, 2021, the Taliban categorically declared, “we will honour women's rights but within the norms of Islamic law.”

On the contrary, and as expected, incidents of brutality and repression continue to be reported. Such incidents of brutality and abuse, apart from the killings already mentioned, included the September 8 incident, when many women came out into the streets of Kabul demanding equal rights and participation of female members in government, they were lashed with whips and beaten with batons that emit electric shocks, by Taliban fighters. Earlier, on September 7, the Taliban locked tens of women in the basement of Azizi Bank to prevent them from joining protesters in Kabul streets.

Further, Taliban forces have been mounting surveillance of women working in various fields and targeting them in various ways. As reported on October 21, 2021, Taliban officials have recovered personal information of more than 200 female judges, who still remain in Afghanistan, from court records. Susan Glazebrook, President of the judges' association and a justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand observed,

The women judges of Afghanistan are under threat for applying the law… They are under threat because they have made rulings in favor of women according to law in family violence, custody and divorce cases…

Women journalists and media personnel are also in grave danger from the Taliban. 48 hours after the Taliban took control of Kabul, women reporters with privately-owned TV channels such as Tolo News, Ariana News, Kabul News, etc., had dared to resume talking on the air and going out to cover events. But media executives quickly found that they were being threatened and intimidated. In one such incident, on August 25, 2021, Nahid Bashardost, a reporter for the independent news agency Pajhwok, was beaten by the Taliban while reporting near Kabul Airport. Also, as reported on August 19, Taliban forces barred two female journalists Khadija Amin and Shabnam Dawran, both with the public broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), from working at the station's offices. Many female journalists are fleeing Afghanistan due to fear of repression. A September 20 report indicated that just 39 women journalists were still formally working in privately-owned radio and TV stations in. That’s a precipitous drop from the 700 women.

 On August 25, 2021, Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, announced that women should not go to work for their own safety. He argued that the measure was necessary because the Taliban's soldiers "keep changing and are not trained."

Reports on October 20, 2021, indicated that the coach of the Afghan junior women's national volleyball team, on conditions of anonymity, stated that, since their takeover, the Taliban had tried to identify and hunt down women athletes. The militants have been even more keenly on the look-out for members of the Afghan women's volleyball team, who competed in foreign and domestic competitions, and appeared in media programs in the past.

On September 17, 2021, the Taliban replaced the Ministry of Women's Affairs with the Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which was disbanded in 2001. For Afghan women, this change in Ministry is an official reminder that the Taliban have not changed, and intend to bring back the oppressive and discriminatory order of their first regime.

Indeed, the Taliban are unabashedly expressing regressive and anti-women views. On September 9, 2021, in an interview to Tolo News, Taliban spokesperson, Sayed Zekrullah Hashim thus declared,

A woman can't be a minister, it is like you put something on her neck that she can't carry. It is not necessary for a woman to be in the cabinet, they should give birth & women protesters can't represent all women in AFG [Afghanistan].

The Taliban formed an all-male interim government on September 7, 2021, as Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, now acting Culture and Information Minister, announced the formation of a 33-member Interim Cabinet. Later, on September 21, 2021, another 17 new members were added to the Cabinet. No woman was included.

Taliban’s preceding rule from 1996 to 2001 caused severe havoc in the lives of Afghan women and girls. The regime was notorious for violence against common Afghan women, with frequent incidents of lashing, whipping, public executions, stoning, acid attacks and sexual violence. The situation improved dramatically, once the Taliban was ousted from power in 2001, but began to deteriorate as the Taliban started to regain lost ground.

With the Taliban back in power since August 15, 2021, the scenario looks like a rewind to the past, with the likelihood that violence and brutality against women will increasingly be considered ‘normal’. At present, frightful incidents are being occasionally reported as isolated cases. The everyday strain in the lives of Afghan women are largely unseen, and can only multiply.

 

BANGLADESH

 

   

DSA: Silencing Dissenting Voices
S. Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On November 13, 2021, Police pressed charges against Rafiqul Islam Madani aka ‘Shishu Bokta, in a case filed with the Motijheel Police Station under the Digital Security Act (DSA). The charges brought against him included making derogatory statements against the state. On March 25, Madani had been arrested in Motijheel area of Dhaka city.

On November 8, 2021, the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal framed charges against photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in three cases filed under the DSA. Kajol was charged with circulating indecent, defamatory, objectionable, and fake information about some Ministers, lawmakers, and Jubo Mahila League leaders on Facebook.

On October 19, 2021, Police arrested Ismail Hossain (21), a madrasa (seminary) teacher in Bagerhat District, for posting offensive photos of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader on Facebook. He was arrested under the DSA.

On October 19, 2021, Farhad Asif Tipu (50), a journalist was arrested at Kumarkhali in Kushtia District in connection with a case filed against him under the DSA for reportedly uploading a Facebook post insulting Prime Minister Hasina.

On October 5, 2021, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Nusrat Shahreen Raka (38) under the DSA from the Uttara area of Dhaka city. According to RAB, Raka was spreading false, misleading and defamatory information about the state and important personalities of the state through social media, in order to disrupt peace and order in the country.

According to Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), a non-profit autonomous think-tank in Dhaka city, 1,543 cases were filed between January 1, 2020 and September 15, 2021, under the DSA. 1,128 cases were filed in 2020, 1,189 were filed in 2019, and 925 in 2018. The major findings of CGS in the report titled Three Years of Digital Security Act 2018 (DSA): Observations and Summary Findings, released on September 30, 2021, included:

In 668 cases, the number of the accused person was 1,516, including 142 journalists, 35 teachers, 194 politicians and 67 students. The professions of 571 accused were identified. About 9.37 percent of total cases and 24.87 percent of those whose professions are identified, were journalists. Among those who had been arrested, the number of journalists was disproportionately higher. Of the 499 arrested persons, 42 were journalists, 55 politicians, and 32 students. 13 persons below the age of 18 had also been charged in the 668 cases tracked. The overwhelming majority of these cases have not been filed by aggrieved persons but by others, often by ruling party activists, in support or on behalf of their leaders. The political identity of the identified accusers indicated that 85 per cent belonged to the ruling Awami League. Law enforcement agencies had themselves filed 76 cases, almost 20.32 percent of the cases. 74 cases under review were filed for allegedly defaming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Of these 13 were filed directly by law enforcement agencies, while 61 cases were filed on complaints by private individuals. 41 cases were filed against individuals for defamation of ministers, of which only 4 were filed by aggrieved parties or their families, while 34 cases were filed by other individuals. Seventeen people were arrested in these cases, of whom three had secured bail. Section 25 (publishing, sending of offensive, false or fear inducing data and information); Section 29 (publishing or broadcasting defamatory information); Section 31 (creating hostility, hatred or adversity); and Section 35 (aiding in the commission of an offence) and are the most widely used provisions. Politicians are the largest numbers of accused, followed by journalists. The judicial process is extremely slow and only two cases have decided so far. There are allegations that many were charged under the DSA after being picked up by plain-clothes Police and RAB personnel. The law stipulates that an investigation report must be submitted within 60 days, with an additional leeway of 15 days. If the investigation is not complete within that time, another 30 days are allowed, subject to the approval of the Cyber Tribunal. But over the past three years, the investigation report had not been filed within the stipulated time in many cases, yet the accused remained in custody, effectively being punished before the trial.

Professor Ali Riaz, principal investigator of the CGS project thus noted,

[The trend] reveals how a law has become a tool of emergent authoritarianism. It is nothing short of criminalising dissent. The wanton use of the law has created a culture of fear in Bangladesh. Repealing the law has become necessary.

Indeed, the Sampadak Parishad (Editors' Council), a nationwide professional association of newspaper Editors, has been protesting against the DSA since it came into effect on October 8, 2018. The Editors' Council identified fundamental flaws in the DSA:

In trying to make a law to prevent crimes through digital devices and provide security in the digital sphere, the act ends up policing media operations, censoring content and controlling media freedom and freedom of speech and expression, as guaranteed by the Constitution. The act gives unlimited power to the police to enter premises, search offices, bodily search persons, seize computers and networks, servers, and everything related to digital platforms. According to the Act, the Police can arrest anybody on suspicion without warrant and do not need the approval of any authority. The act suffers from vagueness and uses many terms that can be misinterpreted and used against the media. DSA will create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation which will make journalism, and especially investigative journalism, virtually impossible. Other than media professionals, the law will create panic among all users of computers, computer networks, etc.

On March 6, 2021, the Editors’ Council demanded an immediate review of DSA and the withdrawal of all cases filed against journalists and free-thinking writers under the Act. Among various provisions of the DSA, the followings are identified as the most significant clauses:

Section 17 Punishment for Illegal Entrance in Critical Information Infrastructure, etc.-(1) If any person intentionally or knowingly in any Critical information infrastructure - a. Illegally enters, or b. By means of illegal entrance, harms or destroys or renders inactive the infrastructure or tries to do so, then the above activity of that person will be an offense under the Act. (2) If any person of Sub Section (1) - a. Commits any offense within the Clause (a) then, the person will be penalized by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or by fine not exceeding BDT 2.5 million or with both. b. Commits any offense within Clause (b) then, the person will be penalized by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years or with fine not exceeding BDT 10 million or with both. (3) If any person commits the offense mentioned in sub-section (1) for the second time or recurrently commits the offense then, he will be punished with lifetime imprisonment or with fine not exceeding BDT 50 million or with both. Section 29 Publishing and distributing defamatory information, etc. - (1) If a person publishes or distributes any defamatory information mentioned in section 499 of the Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860) via a website or any other electronic format, they will get a maximum penalty of 3 years in jail or BDT 5 lakh in fine, or both. Section 32 Offence and penalty for breach of Official Secrets - (1) If a person commits a crime or assists someone in committing a crime under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (Act No XIX of 1923), via a computer, digital device, computer network, digital network or any other digital media, they will get a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail or BDT 2.5 million in fines, or both. (2) If a person commits a crime mentioned in the sub-clause 1 for a second time or repeatedly, they will be sentenced to life in prison or a maximum fine of BDT 10 million, or both.

Meanwhile, radical Islamist militant groups have murdered journalists and bloggers who dared to defend a secular vision of society. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a total of at least 36 journalists and bloggers have been killed since the commencement of the 2013 Shahbagh Movement. The last such incident of killing was on June 11, 2018, in which Shahzahan Bachchu (60), an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house, 'Bishaka Prokashoni,' was gunned down in his ancestral village, Kakaldi, in Munshiganj District.

Reflecting the overall situation of journalists in the country, Reporters Sans Frontières, in its 2021 World Press Freedom Index, released on April 20, 2021, dropped Bangladesh to the 152^nd position out of 180 countries – the lowest ranking it has ever been placed on. It was at the 151^st position in 2020 and 150^th in 2019.

There are legitimate concerns regarding the abuse of the Internet and social media, particularly by extremist and terrorist formations, as well as by unscrupulous political and criminal elements in Bangladesh. The extensive use of the draconian DSA against a range of others, including journalists, has, however, severely curtailed the freedom of expression in Bangladesh. Journalists and citizens in various walks of life have been victimised for speaking out in cyber space. The state is failing to ensure the freedom of the media as well and the civil discourse, as well as the safety of media professionals and citizens, both from state intimidation and from the threat from radical Islamist forces. As a core principle of democracy, freedom of the media and acceptance of criticism are critical elements for the survival of a democracy. 

IS-KP attacks in the country increased many times this year as compared to the past, says UN Secretary-General's envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons: The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's top envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, says the attacks claimed by the Islamic State-Khurasan Province (IS-KP) attacks in the country increased many times this year as compared to the past. Envoy Deborah in her speech to the UN Security Council said, "The reason for the increase in ISKP activity is the inability of the Taliban to prevent the group from expanding." Hasht E Subh Daily, November 19, 2021.

Media outlets must observe Islamic values, says the spokesman of the IEA Zabihullah Mujahid: On November 21, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Zabihullah Mujahid says that the media outlets must observe Islamic values. "The media outlets have the status of a tribune and should work to enlighten the public and the new generation," said Zabihullah Mujahid, in a joint meeting of the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Ministry of Ethics. Hasht E Subh Daily, November 22, 2021.

The US will pursue an "over-the-horizon" mission in Afghanistan in response to counterterrorism, says Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin: Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US will pursue an "over-the-horizon" mission in Afghanistan in response to counterterrorism, reports Tolo News on November 21. Secretary Austin made the remarks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS) Manama Dialogue 2021. Tolo News, November 22, 2021.

Taliban urges US Congress to release Afghanistan's assets: The Taliban on November 17 urged the United States (US) Congress to ease sanctions and release Afghanistan's assets as the country faces economic turmoil. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a statement posted online that the frozen assets are harming the public, from the health sector to education and other services. AP News, November 20, 2021.

Taliban renames all eight military corps: On November 7, the Taliban's Ministry of Defence renamed all eight military corps of Afghanistan. According to a decree by Yaqoob Mujahid, the acting Defense Minister, the Special Operations Corps in Kabul was renamed as the Central Corps, while the 209th Shaheen Corps in Mazar-i-Sharif renamed as Al-Fatah, the 217th Pamir Corps in Kunduz renamed as Omari Corps, the 205th Atal Corps in Kandahar renamed as Al-Badr ,215th Maiwand in Helmand as Azm, 201st Sailab Corps in Langman Province to Khalid Ibn Waleed, the 203rd Thunder Corps in Paktia to Mansouri and the 207th Zafar Corps in Herat Province to Al-Farooq. Anadolu Agency, November 20, 2021.

More than 400 Taliban Security Forces removed and jailed by the Filtration Commission: The Taliban interim Government has reported that the Filtration Commission has dismissed more than 400 security forces from their duties and jailed many of them. "The Filtration Commission has removed more than 400 Taliban members over the past few days," Qari Saeed Khosty, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said" Hasht E Subh Daily, November 19, 2021.

Ansar al Islam 'chief recruiter' arrested in Dhaka city: The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit on November 15 arrested Hasibur Rahman alias Azzam Al Galib (21), the 'chief recruiter' of Ansar al Islam from Uttara area of Dhaka city. CTTC chief Mohamad Asaduzzaman said Galib is the chief of dawah (invitation) wing of the Ansar al Islam and that the banned militant outfit's online presence would suffer a major blow following the arrest. The Daily Star, November 16, 2021.

CPI-Maoist shifts focus to Odisha-Chhattisgarh border, says report: With the Security Forces (SFs) inflicting heavy damage to the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) across the Left-Wing Extremism, LWE axis, the outlawed outfit is reported to have shifted focus from Swabhiman Anchal to Odisha-Chhattisgarh borders. The death of 'central committee, CC' member Milind Teltumbde and the arrest of Prashant Bose aka Kishan Da, within months of the demise of Akkiraju Haragopal aka RK has changed the scenario. Indian Express, November 21, 2021.

UMHA extends ban on Zakir Naik headed IRF for five years, says report: The ban imposed on the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), headed by India-born preacher Zakir Naik, has been extended by five years by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA). UMHA in its notification said that Zakir Naik's speeches and statements were meant to inspire youths of a particular religion in India and abroad to commit terrorist acts. Times Now, November 16, 2021.

For assessments on other South Asian countries and for daily news updates on terrorism visit South Asia Terrorism Portal