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Farangis Najibullah

Farangis Najibullah is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL who has reported on a wide range of topics from Central Asia, including the region’s ongoing struggle with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact. She has extensively covered efforts by Central Asian states to repatriate their citizens who joined Islamic State in Syria and Iraq

Produced by Farangis Najibullah

August 26, 2016
Iranian Fans Take To Social Media To Demand Rapper’s Release

Fans of popular Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo have taken to social media to demand his release from custody. Tataloo was detained on charges of spreading corruption and depravity among youth.
August 19, 2016
Tajik Government Stakes Out Expanded Power Over Media

Tajikistan has introduced a new regulation that enables authorities to officially control the content of privately owned television and radio stations.
August 17, 2016
Kazakh Prime Minister's Hashtag Fail

The Kazakh prime minister's call for Twitter users to list the country's achievements since independence has not gone as planned.
July 01, 2016
Cousin Couples Rush To Altar To Beat Tajik Marriage Ban

Tajik officials say they have noticed an uptick in the number of applications for marriage licenses just before a law banning cousin marriages comes into effect.
June 02, 2016
No Shave, No Soccer: Bearded Uzbek Fans Report Being Barred From Stadium

Bearded soccer fans in the Uzbek city of Bukhara say they were not allowed to enter a stadium to watch a match until they shaved off their facial hair.
April 20, 2016
Killing Of Afghan Girl Prompts Outrage In Iran

The horrific killing of a six-year-old Afghan migrant girl outside Tehran has sparked unprecedented condemnation in Iran.
April 11, 2016
Afghan Lawmaker Appears To Threaten Female Journalist With Rape

An Afghan lawmaker appears to threaten his female interviewer with rape in a new documentary on the state of women's rights, and for that he is demanding an apology from whomever plotted against him by distributing the taped exchange.
April 10, 2016
Tajikistan Offers Morality Lessons To Sex Workers

Authorities in Tajikistan have introduced morality classes to move prostitutes away from the world's oldest profession.
March 10, 2016
Afghanistan Vows Probe Of Police Torture

Authorities in Afghanistan say they're investigating the circumstances around a disturbing video clip that appears to show police officers taking part in the brutal torture of an alleged terror suspect.
February 04, 2016
Tajik Name-Change Craze Targets Turkic Words

In his quest to see Persian-rooted names affixed to everything from towns and villages to historical sites and newborns, Tajikistan's president has turned to renaming locations with Turkic-based names.
January 31, 2016
Tajik Fortune-Tellers Face Uncertain Future

Tajikistan's state religious committee says it has handed over a list of nearly 200 fortune-tellers to police for criminal investigation. It comes as parliament is set to debate tougher punishments fortune telling, which already is criminalized in Tajikistan.
January 13, 2016
Tajikistan Moves To Ban Arabic Names, Marriages Between First Cousins

Lawmakers in Tajikistan have voted to ban Arabic-sounding “foreign” names as well as marriages between first cousins, approving legislation to restrict two common practices that have irked the government of the predominantly Muslim country.
December 19, 2015
Afghanistan Wants To Take 'Islamic State Radio' Off The Air

Afghan authorities are troubled by a new radio station that has been broadcasting antigovernment propaganda in the eastern province of Nangarhar and seeking recruits for the militant group Islamic State.
December 15, 2015
'Brutality Beyond Imagination': Mother Speaks Of Daughter's Murder By Afghan Mob

Nearly nine months after the brutal mob killing of an Afghan woman sparked global condemnation, the victim's mother says the family is still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
December 03, 2015
Tajikistan Tightens Up On SIM Cards As Security Measure

Tajikistan is to reregister millions of SIM cards as part of efforts to tighten security across the country.
October 07, 2015
Taliban Flips The Switch On Women's Radio, TV In Kunduz

When the Taliban recently took control of the Afghan city of Kunduz, a popular women-run radio station was one of the first buildings to be destroyed.
August 04, 2015
Kabul Unsympathetic To Mourning Mullah Omar

Kabul isn't grieving the death of its elusive and longtime adversary, Mullah Mohammad Omar, and it is making sure the Afghan people don't either.
June 23, 2015
Afghanistan's Instant Hero: Soldier 'Single-Handedly' Stops Attack On Parliament

An Afghan soldier has catapulted to fame after claiming to have killed six Taliban fighters who attacked the parliament building in Kabul.
March 26, 2015
Farkhunda's Lynching Strikes Chord In Afghanistan

The lynching of an innocent young woman in front of a Kabul shrine has cast unprecedented attention on women's rights in Afghanistan.
March 15, 2015
Tajik Prostitutes Seek Protection In The Hijab

The fear of insults and attacks has prompted some Tajik street prostitutes to literally go undercover; that is, under the Islamic hijab.

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