Natiq Malikzada

Natiq Malikzada
ناطق ملک‌زاده
Born
Mohammad Natiq Malikzada

1995 or 1996 (age 30–31)
Islamic State of Afghanistan
EducationMA in International Relations (Middle East Studies)
LLM in International Human Rights Law
Alma materMA in International Relations
OccupationsJournalist, human rights researcher, advocate
Known forMedia freedom and gender justice advocacy, critique of international human rights law, co-founding Better Afghanistan
AwardsChevening Scholarship

Natiq Malikzada (also known as Mohammad Natiq Malikzada) is a Tajik-Afghan journalist, human rights researcher, and advocate. His work focuses on media freedom, gender justice, human rights, and accountability for human rights violations across the Middle East and South Asia. He has actively participated in international discussions concerning the political and legal challenges facing the Global South and currently writes a column for the Washington-based magazine The National Interest.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Education

Malikzada holds a Master of Arts (MA) in International Relations with a specialization in Middle East Studies, and a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Human Rights Law. After completing his bachelor's degree in India, he moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his advanced studies after being awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship.[1]

Journalism and research career

Malikzada began his career as a journalist, previously working with the Dubai-based news outlet Akhbar Al Aan.[9] He later transitioned to writing columns and geopolitical commentary for a variety of global publications and think tanks. In addition to his regular column in The National Interest, he frequently contributes to The Diplomat, Amu TV, the Atlantic Council, and Responsible Statecraft.[10][11][12][13]

As a researcher, Malikzada serves as a fellow with the Mosaic Global Foundation and the Center for Gulf Human Rights and Democracy.[14] In these roles, he documents human rights violations and war crimes across Afghanistan, the Middle East, and South Asia.[15]

Malikzada frequently appears as a human rights expert and commentator on major international television networks, where he debates global human rights crises and highlights the systemic oppression of marginalized groups.[16][17]

Views on international human rights

In his academic and public commentary, Malikzada has been highly critical of the structural inequalities embedded within international human rights law. He argues that the current system is inherently biased against the Global South and frequently manipulated by powerful states to serve geopolitical interests.[18]

Better Afghanistan

Malikzada is a co-founder of Better Afghanistan,[1] a civil institution he established alongside the prominent Afghan women's rights activist Freshta Kohistani to counter religious extremism and promote democratic values. Kohistani was assassinated in Afghanistan in December 2020.

Following the 2021 Taliban return to power, Malikzada shifted the organization's focus toward documenting ongoing human rights violations and facilitating clandestine educational support for Afghan girls who were banned from attending school by the regime. This activism drew direct hostility from the Taliban authorities. In 2024, local Afghan media, including Hasht-e Subh (8am Media), reported that four employees of Better Afghanistan had been arrested by Taliban intelligence forces in Kabul.[19][20]

Security threats and 2025 attack

Due to his outspoken criticism of religious extremism and the Taliban, Malikzada has faced numerous security threats throughout his career. In 2014, while working as a journalist in Afghanistan, he survived an attempted kidnapping. In 2018, he was reportedly taken hostage by Taliban militants.[21]

After relocating to the United Kingdom,[21] Malikzada continued to campaign against the Taliban's policies, particularly their oppression of women. On February 13, 2025, Malikzada was attacked and stabbed by two men in his Home Office asylum accommodation in London. He sustained severe injuries but survived the attack. Hampshire police subsequently arrested two men in connection with the incident, which drew widespread condemnation from media organizations, including the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), who called for better protection for exiled dissidents.[22][23][24]

See Also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Natiq Malikzada Profile". The National Interest. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Video Interview". Afghanistan International.
  3. ↑ "Author: Natiq Malikzada". Al Arabiya Farsi. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  4. ↑ Malikzada, Natiq. "آمریکا هزینه‌های شورش طالبان، سقوط صدام و کشتن اسامه را غلط محاسبه کرده بود" [America miscalculated the costs of the Taliban insurgency, the fall of Saddam, and the killing of Osama] (in Persian). BBC Persian. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ Malikzada, Natiq. "Pakistan and Afghanistan". Responsible Statecraft. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  6. ↑ Malikzada, Natiq (June 18, 2026). "Pakistan and the Regional Narcotics Debate". Eurasia Review. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  7. ↑ Malikzada, Natiq. "Why the US and Iran are Losing Confidence in Pakistan". The National Interest. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  8. ↑ Malikzada, Natiq (November 4, 2025). "Why Human Rights Needs a Political Reckoning". Human Rights Centre Blog.
  9. ↑ "Author: Natiq Malikzada". Akhbar Al Aan. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Taliban Officials Are No Longer Acting". The Diplomat. August 2025.
  11. ↑ "Author: Natiq Malikzada". Amu TV.
  12. ↑ "Author: Natiq Malikzada". Responsible Statecraft.
  13. ↑ "Natiq Malikzada". The New Arab. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Executive Team". Mosaic Global Foundation.
  15. ↑ "The Taliban escalate their brutal hunt for American allies". Washington Examiner.
  16. ↑ "Why should Taliban opponents be cautious about Pakistan?". 8am Media. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  17. ↑ "National Union of Journalists of the UK and Ireland condemns attack on Afghan journalist Natiq Malikzada". Afghanistan International. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ "What the Global North Can Learn from the Global South". The Diplomat. May 2025.
  19. ↑ "طالبان چهار کارمند یک «نهاد مدنی» را در کابل بازداشت کردند" [Taliban arrest four employees of a civil institution in Kabul] (in Persian). 8am Media. 2024.
  20. ↑ Malikzada, Natiq. "Afghan allies continue to be betrayed to the Taliban". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Two men arrested after anti-Taliban Afghan activist attacked inside Home Office hotel". The Independent. March 14, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Taliban Critic Stabbed in London, Attackers Flee Scene". Afghanistan International. February 14, 2025.
  23. ↑ "NUJ condemns shocking attack on journalist Natiq Malikzada". National Union of Journalists. March 25, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Two suspects arrested in attack on Afghan activist in the UK". Khaama Press. March 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2026.

Further reading

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