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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fleeing the Taliban: former Afghan journalist shares his journey two years after fleeing his home country

Zia Danesh, a refugee and former journalist from Afghanistan, arrived in Spokane two years ago.  (Kathy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review)

In 2016, moments after speaking on a TV interview about the dangers of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Zia Danesh’s car was bombed on his way home.

The explosion, a targeted suicide attack, killed his driver.

“They called and they left a message to me saying, ‘This was the first one, and we can kill your family,’ ” Danesh said.

At the time, with the Taliban out of power, Danesh tried not to dwell on the threats, even as they escalated and began targeting his family. But it wasn’t long before it became impossible to ignore, forcing him to leave his home country.

It was only two years ago that Danesh made the difficult decision to leave Afghanistan with his family, driven by the constant danger tied to his work as a journalist and government official.

Now settled in the safety and comfort of Spokane with his family, Danesh feels ready to share his story and the dangers he lived through – many of which persist as the Taliban continues to hinder the rights of women, journalists and what remains of Afghan culture.

“Unfortunately, they are becoming more and more daring every day and are increasing restrictions step by step,” Danesh said.

Danesh and his parents fled Afghanistan in 1996 for Iran, where he completed high school as the Taliban seized control of his home country.

That year, the Taliban captured Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and killed former Afghan president Mohammad Najibullah. They remained in power until 2001, enforcing strict Islamic law that denied women basic rights and barred them from working or attending school.

It was during this time that Danesh began his career as a journalist in Iran and worked with Afghan immigrant media.

“I defended modern values like democracy, human rights and women’s rights, and I spoke out against the dangers of fundamentalist and terrorist groups, highlighting their beliefs and crimes,” Danesh said.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. and its allies launched airstrikes against the Taliban and helped establish a new government in Afghanistan beginning in late 2001.

Danesh returned with his family and resumed his work as a journalist, notably becoming editor-in-chief of Rah-e-Nejat, the country’s first private newspaper, at just 19 years old.

Everything seemed good, he said, but at this point, the Taliban already knew of his work.

Danesh said it wasn’t long before he began receiving threats from the Taliban, even in the years they weren’t in power.

He brushed it off.

For Danesh, it was more important to report on the issues happening in his country.

“The media had the power to convey the voices of the people of Afghanistan to the global community and to inform the public about the hidden agendas of terrorist groups,” Danesh said. “For this reason, I chose to stand alongside the military forces, amplifying the voice of our people through the media.”

He continued his work for eight years, writing for private newspapers covering primarily human and women rights, and in between he obtained master’s degrees in Islamic Knowledge and Business and Administration.

In 2009, Danesh transitioned as the announcer for a political roundtable on television, where he discussed Afghan and international politics. The segment quickly gained popularity among Afghan viewers.

A few years later, he pivoted again, accepting a government role to oversee Afghanistan’s border system.

This career shift led him to becoming one of the leaders at the Ministry of State for Peace in Afghanistan in 2020.

The government institution was created to oversee and coordinate efforts related to peace-building, negotiations and conflict resolution.

It was specifically tasked with managing Afghanistan’s peace process, particularly in the context of negotiations with the Taliban, and played a crucial role in facilitating the negotiations and promoting the government’s stance on peace, security and stability.

“My colleagues and I provided logistical and informational support to the Afghan negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, and were responsible for reporting on the progress of the negotiations, obstacles, the Taliban’s demands, intentions and objectives,” Danesh said. “In a way, I can be considered one of the spokespeople for the peace negotiation process.”

The Taliban signed a peace treaty with the United States that year.

Peace for Afghanistan, however, didn’t last.

In just a few days, the Taliban regained control in 2021 after the United States and NATO withdrew from the country in August .

Immediately, Danesh and his family were told by government officials that they had no other choice but to go into hiding.

For nine months, Danesh and his family moved every two days, traveling under the cover of night and avoiding using their phones out of fear of being tracked.

His children, 9 and 5 at the time, were unsure of everything that was going on and would repeatedly ask when they were going back home.

“We were hiding in Iran, in Italy,” Danesh said. “They were very hard days.”

In March 2022, while Danesh and his family were still moving from home to home in Italy, they were informed that they could register for the Special Immigrant Visa, which offers a path to citizenship and resettlement for individuals in danger. The visa is primarily available to those from Afghanistan or Iraq who have worked in government positions.

This allowed Danesh and his family to resettle in the United States, with Spokane being their assigned destination.

As of Jan. 20, however, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely, which has directly impacted Afghan and other such refugees awaiting resettlement.

The executive order has halted flights for more than 40,000 Afghans approved for special U.S. visas, leaving them at risk of Taliban retribution.

The State Department has also suspended funds for groups that assist Special Immigrant Visa holders with housing, education and employment in the U.S., further complicating the resettlement process.

“They are a very special category of people. These were literally wartime allies who put their lives on the line, and gave their lives to support us, the U.S. government in Afghanistan,” said Ryan Crocker, former American ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Special Immigrant Visa Program is designed to make good on our promise that, as they supported us, we would support them.”

Crocker said this would not affect the Special Immigrant Visa that Danesh and others in Spokane have received, but it is still unknown how the cessation of funding would affect him and others in the area.

Danesh declined to comment on this issue.

Upon arrival, Danesh got connected to World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization, and secured housing and employment through its help.

Christi Armstrong, executive director of the organization, said World Relief has resettled 726 people to Spokane in the last year, with a large number of them coming from Afghanistan.

Since his arrival, Danesh said he’s felt safe and has seen his family embrace opportunities.

“My children are going to school, I’m working and my wife is studying English; It’s a good opportunity,” said Danesh, who’s now an employment specialist for the organization.

Despite his gratitude for the safety and opportunities his family enjoys, Danesh remains haunted by the plight of his homeland and the people who are struggling under relentless oppression and suffocating bans imposed by Taliban rule.

In December, the Taliban announced a new decree prohibiting women and girls from attending public and private medical institutes in Afghanistan.

Later that month, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued an order banning the construction of windows overlooking areas used by Afghan women. Other decrees include a warning that any organization that employs women will have its operating licenses revoked.

“I was speaking with a few journalists who are still in the country, and they told me about the increasing pressures on various ethnic, religious and racial minorities in Afghanistan,” Danesh said. “There is rising pressure on universities, censorship of books and the collection of books that emphasize different thinking, tolerance and coexistence.”

He said with other issues diverting the world’s attention from Afghanistan, it has given the Taliban the opportunity to consolidate power, making it feel “stronger and more accepted.”

“Even European countries are sending positive signals to them,” Danesh said. “The U.N. has either compromised with the Taliban or is truly powerless, and we have yet to see any real pressure to change the Taliban’s behavior and actions.”

Danesh said he doesn’t expect anything to change within the next year, making him more deeply concerned for the future.

He hopes his story can draw attention to the worsening crisis in Afghanistan and rekindle a global sense of responsibility.

“I really feel bad about this,” Danesh said. “I feel sorrow and regret for the women and girls of Afghanistan, and a sense of hopelessness regarding the responsibility of the world.”