Taliban have detained Abdul Karim Abbasi, the former head of the Panjshir provincial council, sentencing him to 12 years in prison earlier this year, sources told Amu.
Abbasi, who was arrested in Kabul’s Shahr-e Naw neighborhood, has now been held in Taliban custody for about nine months, sources said.
Following his initial detention by the Taliban’s intelligence, Abbasi was transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi prison and then moved to Bagram prison, sources said.
He was previously detained for two months between 2021 and 2022 by the Taliban’s Yarmok military unit but was released on a guarantee.
Relatives say Abbasi chose to remain in Afghanistan after the former government’s collapse, opening a shop selling lapis gemstones in Kabul. The Taliban have yet to comment on his arrest.
Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur for Afghanistan, recently highlighted the pervasive fear and insecurity felt by former officials, journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society members under Taliban rule. Many of these individuals, Bennett said, face harassment and are often compelled to go into hiding to avoid detention or retaliation.
