Human rights crisis deepens in Afghanistan and Iran amid severe restrictions on women

Five years following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, human rights organisations report severe rollbacks of basic freedoms, with women systematically excluded from public life, education, and employment. An investigation examining 231 femicide cases highlighted growing impunity for perpetrators, compounded by the 2023 dissolution of the national attorney general's office.

Concurrently, nearly 40 percent of the Afghan population requires emergency aid. The United Nations confirmed that an international convoy of over 700 trucks carrying food and supplies successfully crossed the border from Pakistan despite regional friction.

In neighbouring Iran, rights groups reported the execution of 24-year-old Marzieh Neyri, who was convicted after defending herself against sexual assault. Legal observers noted that strict evidentiary standards under the country's retribution laws impose prohibitive barriers on female victims seeking legal protection.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), Expresso, Expresso das Ilhas, Jornal Económico, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)