KABUL, Afghanistan — Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur for Afghanistan, has called for an investigation into the death of Hamza Ulfat, an activist.
Bennett described Ulfat’s death as “disturbing” and urged accountability. Reports indicate that Ulfat was detained and tortured by the Taliban for his activism, according to Fareshta Abbasi, a human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Ulfat is believed to have died shortly after his release from a Taliban prison, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.
“This is very disturbing and requires investigation and accountability,” Bennett said on Sunday.
Ulfat’s death has drawn renewed attention to the plight of activists in Afghanistan. Numerous reports have surfaced of Taliban authorities detaining, torturing, and beating activists in prison since the group seized power in 2021.
Human rights organizations have consistently raised alarms about the Taliban’s treatment of civil society members, warning that such actions undermine fundamental freedoms and further isolate Afghanistan from the international community.
Hamza Ulfat, a social activist and teacher from Daikundi province, has died after enduring prolonged torture and imprisonment by the Taliban, according to sources who spoke to Amu Media.
Ulfat, 31, was a graduate of political science from Balkh University in Mazar-e-Sharif. During the final days of Afghanistan’s republic government, he served as a commander in the public uprisings in Mazar-e-Sharif and maintained close ties with Commander Hassan Reza Hazara.
After the fall of the republic in 2021, Ulfat chose to remain in Afghanistan, becoming a prominent social and civil activist. His activism began during his university years and continued until his arrest by the Taliban.
Sources revealed that Ulfat was arrested by the Taliban’s intelligence agency in Kabul one year ago. He was reportedly released in July last year but succumbed to his injuries several months later. According to sources, his death resulted from the effects of torture and physical abuse he endured while in Taliban custody.
