Breaking the silence: the journalists working in secret to tell the stories of Afghanistan’s women and girls. An interview with Zahra Joya

The increasing restrictions on women in Afghanistan is forcing women journalists to take extraordinary risks to their own safety to tell the stories of their fellow women and girls living under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. Women are barred from studying, working, speaking and praying in public. The journalists telling their stories feel they have been abandoned by the outside world but remain determined to continue to report.
Thomson Foundation’s Young Journalist of the Year 2024 is a woman reporter working in secret in Afghanistan for The Afghan Times which is run by Afghan journalists who have been forced to leave their country and now work in exile in Dublin. Her typical working day involves operating in secrecy, using encrypted tools to communicate with sources, and planning every step carefully to avoid detection. Despite the constant dangers she says: “I continue because journalism is not just a profession for me; it is a mission. Telling the stories of Afghan women and highlighting their resilience gives them a platform and keeps their struggles visible. Their courage inspires me to push forward despite the challenges.”
Zahra Joya is an Afghan journalist and the editor-in-chief and founder of Rukhshana Media, a news agency reporting on life for women and girls in Afghanistan. She was forced to flee Afghanistan and now lives in London. She was named one of Time Magazine’s Women of the Year 2022 and listed in the BBC list of 100 influential women in the same year.
Rukhshana’s reports are published in both Persian/Dari and English, and under pseudonyms to protect the journalists’ identities. As a further protection the journalists are often unaware of the identity of their fellow journalists. As Afghanistan becomes virtually inaccessible to international media, Rukhshana’s work is increasingly essential not only to inform the people of Afghanistan, but also the Afghan diaspora and the international community. Rukhshana’s stories and investigations from all the regions of Afghanistan are often published in partnership with international news organisations including Time magazine, The Guardian and the Fuller Project.
Zahra Joya will be interviewed by Deborah Kelly.
Organised in association with the Thomson Foundation.