{"id":3227,"date":"2021-09-17T01:17:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T20:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/?page_id=3227"},"modified":"2026-04-24T18:27:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:57:32","slug":"about-rukhshana","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rukhshana.com\/en\/about-rukhshana\/","title":{"rendered":"About Rukhshana Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Rukhshana Media was created to give voice, dignity and support to the amazing women of Afghanistan, who, despite living under the Taliban, are determined not to be silenced by the most oppressive regime to women in the world.<\/p>\n

In a society that increasingly denies women\u2019s basic rights, such as the freedom to choose their clothes, study, work and now even speak outside the house, Rukhshana\u2019s extraordinary team of women journalists and contributors work in secret, under the constant threat of harm and death, to report on and investigate issues related to the lives of Afghan women today.<\/p>\n

Rukhshana\u2019s courageous team is led by fearless Editor in Chief Zahra Joya. As a child during the first Taliban regime, Zahra disguised herself as a boy to be able to attend school. Forced to flee Afghanistan as the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Zahra tirelessly continues to fight for Afghan women\u2019s rights through her rigorous and uncompromising journalism. In 2022, she was named Time Woman of the Year for her work with Rukhshana Media.<\/p>\n

Rukhshana\u2019s reports are published in both Persian\/Dari and English, and under pseudonyms to protect the journalists\u2019 identities. As Afghanistan becomes virtually inaccessible to international media, Rukhshana\u2019s work is increasingly essential not only to inform the people of Afghanistan, but also the Afghan diaspora and the international community. Rukhshana’s\u00a0 stories and investigations from all the regions of Afghanistan are often published in partnership with international news organisations including Time magazine, the Guardian and the Fuller Project.<\/p>\n

Rukhshana Media relies on the generosity of donors to continue its incredibly difficult work. Rukshana Media\u00a0is a registered charity in the UK and is supported by an all-women board of trustees.<\/p>\n

Why the name, Rukhshana?<\/strong>
\nWe can\u2019t forget Rukhshana, the woman who was brutally killed for choosing to leave a forced marriage, for choosing to live with someone she loved.
\nIt was October 2015 when a 30-second video that depicted the last moments of a young woman surfaced on Afghan social media. She was placed in a pit at a hillside near Firuzkuh, the capital of Ghor province. A group of men who surrounded her aimed her body with stones. The video shows her last moments as she falls into death.
\nHer name was Rukhshana. She was stoned to death for fleeing a forced marriage for a man she loved.
\nOur newsroom is named Rukhshana in her memory and to remind us of the depth of gender inequality in Afghanistan, where women are killed over trying to make decisions about their bodies and their private lives. By naming our newsroom Rukhshana, we want every time someone says or hears our name, she is remembered and her tragic death at the hands of fanatic Mullahs who still live in impunity.
\nWe created Rukhshana Media to tell the story of women from across Afghanistan, from how they are treated at home to the difficulty of gaining inclusion in a society where religious conservatism and patriarchy have ruled all aspects of social life in the past decades.
\nIn a society that punishes women\u2019s basic choices, bringing women\u2019s stories to the forefront of the public is challenging. However, at Rukhshana Media, our team of women journalists is determined to report on women\u2019s issues as a way to create debates and inform, analyze, and investigate issues related to women\u2019s lives.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Our policy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rukhshana Media is committed to upholding the values of democracy and human rights.
\nRukhshana Media is committed to fast, accurate, and unbiased coverage of women’s issues.
\nTo create conversations, Rukhshana Media invites all women, from across Afghanistan to write about their challenges and opportunities. We believe we cannot find a solution until we address the challenges.<\/p>\n

Editor-in-Chief and Founder:<\/strong>
\nZahra Joya | zahra.joya@rukhshana.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Board of Trustees:<\/strong>
\nRukhshana Media Board of Trustees<\/a><\/p>\n

Email:<\/strong>
\ninfo@rukhshana.com<\/a>
\nrukhshana.af@gmail.com<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Rukhshana Media was created to give voice, dignity and support to the amazing women of Afghanistan, who, despite living under the Taliban, are determined not to be silenced by the most oppressive regime to women in the world. In a society that increasingly denies women\u2019s basic rights, such as the freedom to choose their clothes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":761,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jnews_page_loop":{"enable_page_loop":"0","first_title":"Latest 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