Enayatullah Batash, a civil society activist in the northern province of Kunduz, was detained by the Taliban, local sources confirmed to Amu TV on Tuesday.
According to sources, Batash was detained and reportedly beaten by Taliban members in front of his wife and children.
The reason for his arrest remains unclear, and Taliban have not yet issued a statement on the matter.
Taliban have previously detained many activists. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported in November 2024 that journalists have been subjected to 256 instances of arbitrary detention over the past three years. UN Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva emphasized the challenging conditions under which Afghan journalists operate, often facing “unclear rules” and the risk of “intimidation and arbitrary detention for perceived criticism.”
In October 2023, UN human rights experts called for the immediate release of women human rights defenders detained by the Taliban, highlighting the intensifying restrictions on civic space and the silencing of women and girls.
The Taliban’s crackdown on civil society has drawn international condemnation.
