‘My computer is my weapon’

When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan, Zahra Joya dressed as a boy and called herself Mohammad, allowing her to circumvent the Islamist group's ban on girls going to school.

The journalist's unusual childhood not only let her get an education, but gave her a taste of the freedoms denied to most girls in Afghanistan, where many families only celebrate the birth of sons.

An outspoken feminist, Joya set up Rukhshana Media last year – a news service reporting on Afghan women's lives, including the economic hardship and violence many endure.

Joya, 29, is among hundreds of journalists who have fled the country since the Islamist militants' shock return to power on August 15.

Today she is living in a London hotel - a stone's throw from the Tower of London - after being evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban's takeover.

From her room she continues to report on events 5,800 km (3,600 miles) away, relying on six women journalists working covertly, and her network of contacts.

"Our work is now more important than ever because most media have closed," she said, adding that more than 150 outlets in the country's once vibrant media sector had shut since August, and most women journalists had stopped working.

"Afghanistan is the only country where half the population don't have basic rights. It's crucial we show what's happening," said Joya. "My computer is my weapon," she said. "With my computer I'll continue to ... stand up against the Taliban."