Students and faculty with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music flew last week from Doha to Lisbon, where they will start their new lives and reconstitute their celebrated academy in exile.
"We want to prove to everyone forever that we respect humanity," Taliban spokesman Muhammad Naeem Wardak told NPR in Doha, Qatar. He also said women "must have the right to education and to work."
Saudi Arabia is putting on the Formula One Grand Prix this weekend. And China is hosting the Winter Olympics. Both countries face major accusations of rights abuses — and sportswashing.
Since evacuating its Kabul embassy, the U.S. has set up shop in Doha to continue diplomatic work on Afghanistan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he'll thank them in Doha next week.
