The Taliban has yet to release a number of activists who are being held in custody, including Nargis Sadat, a woman’s rights activist; Mortaza Behboudi, a French-Afghan journalist; Musa Shahin, a singer; and Zakaria Osuli, a university lecturer.
The Taliban arrested Nargis Sadat, a member of the leadership council of a women’s protest movement, in Kabul last month.
According to her relatives, Sadat was detained on February 11, while on her way to a doctor. Since her arrest, there have been no reports on her whereabouts, the woman’s relatives said.
They told Amu TV that Sadat’s family members have been under severe stress since her arrest. Nargis had worked for the Red Cross prior to the Taliban’s ban on women working for non-government organizations.
Nargis Sadat has a nine-year-old child who waits every day for his mother to be released from the Taliban jail.
Mortaza Behboudi, a French-Afghan journalist, is still in Taliban custody. He was detained two months ago while on his way to collect a permit to cover stories in Kabul. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have repeatedly called on the Taliban to release Behboudi.
Meanwhile, an Afghan singer Musa Shahin was arrested on January 24 from his home in PD17 in the Khair Khana area of Kabul city. His relatives told Amu TV that Shahin is being held in the 40th intelligence directorate facility and was severely beaten up by the Taliban.According to his family, he had been arrested for singing a song of praise about Ahmad Massoud, the leader of an anti-Talilban resistance front.
Another person in Taliban custody is Zakaria Osuli, a university lecturer, whose relatives stated that they have no idea about his whereabouts. He was detained on February 2 this year.
Following his arrest, Latif Pedram, the former representative at the Afghan parliament, wrote on his Facebook page: “Zakaria Osuli’s crime is being a Tajik and a Panjshiri (resident of Panjshir).”
Pedram stated that Osuli is a brave man but was not a member of any political party.
