By Ali Mohammad
Copyright pajhwok
The internet shutdowns are inflicting serious harm on people’s rights and livelihoods throughout Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today.
The shutdowns, which began in mid-September 2025 and covered the entire country by the month’s end, have impeded access to education, commerce, media, and healthcare services.
Afghan officials claimed they initiated the shutdowns to prevent “immoral behavior,” initially blocking fiber optics in several northern provinces.
The shutdown extended to the capital, Kabul, at 5 p.m. on September 29, with both fiber and mobile internet suspended.
Proton VPN reported on September 30 that the internet had been completely shut down throughout the country.
“The Taliban’s moves to cut internet access harms the livelihoods of millions of Afghans and deprives them of their basic rights to education, health care, and access to information,” said Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch.
After the blackout began in Kabul, businesses reported disruptions, and flights to and from Kabul’s airport were cancelled, media reported.
Students accessing education online—particularly women and girls already shut out of secondary and higher education by the far-reaching ban on education—found they could not join their classes.
On September 29, a lecturer for an online class for university students told Human Rights Watch that of 28 students who participate in the class, including 18 women in Afghanistan, only 9 could join.
The shutdowns further isolate women and girls, cutting off one of the few remaining avenues for learning, access to information, online employment, and services that rely on digital connectivity.
Activists have said the ban would undermine their efforts to support their communities, with women-led initiatives and services for women and girls particularly affected.
Journalists in Afghanistan reported being unable to make local and international calls because the shutdown had affected both mobile and fiber-optic networks, including platforms like WhatsApp and Signal. Documenting the impact of the shutdown has been difficult because it is not possible to reach anyone inside the country while internet and phone networks are down.
Humanitarian aid groups said that the blackout would hinder their response in Afghanistan, which depends on internet connectivity for outreach, coordination, and aid delivery.
Indrika Ratwatte, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said the shutdowns were affecting day-to-day business and the provision of critical aid: “This is another crisis on top of the existing crises, and the impact is going to be on the lives of Afghan people.”
