Zan Times (farsi: زنتایمز) is an Afghan online publication focused on women and the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan. It was founded in August 2022 in Edmonton, Canada by journalist Zahra Nader, in response to the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
Type of site | Online news |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Farsi |
| Headquarters | , |
| Founder(s) | Zahra Nader |
| URL | zantimes.com |
| Launched | August 2022 |
The word “Zan” means “women” in Farsi, and Zan Times consists of a team of primarily women journalists reporting from exile or courageously on-site in Afghanistan. The publication centres on human rights violations, particularly in the context of women's and LGBTQ rights.
History
editIn 2021, Zahra Nader was a doctoral student at York University in Canada, and was intending to return to her native Afghanistan to continue her research. In August of that year, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and, with their brutal clampdown on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women[1], she relinquished her plans to return[2].
The interpretation of Sharia law practised by the Taliban increasingly restricts women to their homes, forbidding education and decimating employment options, and delivers extreme judgements against any identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community. In August, 2022, using her own funds and with a team of volunteers in exile, Ms. Nader founded the online publication Zan Times. The publication focuses on the ongoing deterioration of the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people in Afghanistan[3], and provides first-hand accounts of conditions in the country. Additionally, and despite funding being cut in January, 2025, Zan Times provides live seminars to women journalists in Afghanistan, ranging from writing and reporting skills to workshops on mental health and trauma.
Based in Ms. Nader's Edmonton home, Zan Times publishes in both English and Farsi[4] with the founder filling the role of editor-in-chief[5]. By 2025, the team had grown to 10 employees outside of Afghanistan and many freelancers working secretly in the country[5][6]. Due to the significant danger of discovery posed by the Taliban regime, on-site journalists in Afghanistan use pseudonyms to publish[2], and do not know each other[6]. Only Ms. Nader and her collaborators know the real identities[2].
Funding for the Afghan journalists has been provided from Reporters without borders, International Women's Media Foundation, and Internews[7]. The termination of US Aid in 2025 had a cascading negative impact on Zan Times revenue and individual donations have become the primary source for funds.
Awards
editIn 2024, Zan Times was awarded the Human Rights Press Award of Human Rights Watch in the “Newsroom in Exile” category for coverage of a suicide pattern of Afghan women and girls under the Taliban regime[8][9]. Also in 2024, the publication won the Palm-Foundation's Palm-Award for demonstrating "exceptional dedication to achieving freedom of speech and freedom of the press"[10]. On World Press Freedom Day in 2025, the publication won the Pen2Pen Freedom of Expression Award in recognition of its courageous journalism in documenting human rights abuses under Taliban rule[11].
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Popalzai, Ehsan; Kottasová, Ivana (20 December 2022). "Taliban suspend university education for women in Afghanistan". CNN. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
- ^ a b c Levasseur, Anne (20 August 2024). "Dans la salle de rédaction du Zan Times" (in French).
- ^ "Zan Times | Courrier international". Archived from the original on 8 October 2023.
- ^ "Edmonton-based news outlet highlights plight of women and girls in Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Comment Zahra Nader, journaliste afghane en exil, enquête sur les crimes des talibans" (in French). Archived from the original on 8 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Afghan women expose Taliban atrocities". Archived from the original on 17 April 2024.
- ^ Aswani, Tarushi. "In 'Zan Times', Afghanistan finds a voice in exile". Archived from the original on 3 June 2023.
- ^ Framarz, Fatima. "'Zan Times' Media Won the Human Rights Media Award – KabulNow". Archived from the original on 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Asia: 2024 Human Rights Press Awards | Human Rights Watch". Archived from the original on 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Palm Stiftung: Palm-Award". www.palm-stiftung.de. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
- ^ "Zan Times Wins 2025 Pen2Pen Freedom of Expression Award on World Press Freedom Day – Hamrah Initiative". Retrieved 2025-07-31.
External links
edit- Official website
- Nader, Zahra; Mehrab, Matin; Elham; Mahsa. "'Despair is settling in': female suicides on rise in Taliban's Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 3 November 2023.