Mursal Siyas, an Afghan journalist, writer, producer, and human rights activist, has been named one of the “Emerging Talents of 2026” by the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society.
In a post on her Facebook account, Siyas wrote that she received the recognition for bringing media and human rights together.
Each year, the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society selects a number of women under 40 who are active in fields including human rights, media, science, politics, the arts, business, and civil society as emerging talents.
“Throughout all the years I have worked at the intersection of media and human rights, stories have meant far more to me than words and everyday news,” Siyas added.
She said that being selected by the forum was also a recognition of and support for the Shukar podcast, which she described as an independent, grassroots media initiative.
According to Siyas, media is a tool for building the world as it should be.
Siyas’s recognition comes as Afghanistan’s de facto authorities have barred women and girls from education since taking control of the country. Most recently, they closed medical institutes to women and girls, even as Afghanistan’s health sector faces a shortage of personnel.
The authorities’ actions have left millions of girls unable to continue their education.
Women have also been banned from going to sports clubs, restaurants, and public baths; being examined by male doctors; travelling without a male guardian; and working for domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
According to reports, if the ban remains in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.
