Location: Afghanistan, Kabul          
Date: May 16, 2022

VICE’s award-winning journalist Isobel Yeung was not allowed to work in Kabul as Taliban authorities instructed her to “immediately” leave the country. She was also restricted from leaving her hotel after she arrived in the city. The journalist said that the Taliban cited issues with VICE’s report on women’s rights. Isobel’s deportation comes days after the Taliban’s latest rollback on women’s rights, ordering women to cover their faces in public. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the move to deport Isobel and her crew. We call on the Taliban authorities to respect the rights of the press and allow independent reporting.

After arriving in Kabul, VICE journalist Isobel and her team were not allowed to film and were asked to “immediately” leave the country by the Taliban. 

“They cited issues with our report on women’s rights and alleged security concerns,” Isobel wrote on her Twitter account on May 13, adding that she was “deeply disappointed to be leaving”.

Isobel, previously worked on life under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. She has been nominated for an Emmy award and has won a Gracie and Front Page award for elevating the plight of Afghan women’s rights struggles. The Afghan journalist Tajuden Soroush shared a video interview of Isobel with the Taliban spokesperson, challenging him regarding women’s rights. 

Replying to accusations that the work permit was denied to VICE crew for “fake reports and failing to provide evidence for some serious allegations”, Isobel said that they have always maintained neutrality and were never asked to provide further evidence. 

“We were deported without questioning..,” she wrote on Twitter.

Since the fall of Kabul, as the Taliban authorities go back on their promise of upholding women’s rights and media freedoms, several women journalists have been forced to quit the profession. Research indicates that out of 700 women journalists formerly based in Kabul, fewer than 100 were still working by December 2021. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has closely followed the impact of the US withdrawal and the Taliban takeover on the lives of women journalists, a group marginalized by both their gender and profession by all parties to the conflict. In 2021, we recorded the deaths of nine women journalists around the world and the highest number of female media workers, four, were killed in Afghanistan. Despite restricted access to public and professional lives, women journalists continue to play an immensely important role in the country which has seen extreme political instability in recent years. For this reason, they face threats to their lives from various political and militant actors on the daily causing several to leave the country. In times like these, it becomes the moral duty of international watchdogs and those in power to amplify their voices. The CFWIJ extends solidarity to Isobel Yeung and calls for immediate reversal of this decision. If the Taliban authorities are afraid of reporting on women’s rights, perhaps they should stop violating them. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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