RASC News Agency: Amnesty International has urged the Taliban to “immediately and unconditionally” release Ahmed Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan, two girls’ education activists and colleagues of the Afghanistani Girls’ Robotics Team, who have been arbitrarily detained by the Taliban. The organization stated on Friday night, February 2, that Taliban intelligence detained Ahmed Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan on October 7th last year from their office in Kabul’s Kart-e Char neighborhood.
The Taliban allege that these two girls’ education activists were acting against Taliban authorities. According to Amnesty International, Ahmed Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan, two girls’ education activists and members of the Afghanistan Girls’ Robotics Team, were transferred to Pul-e Charkhi prison by the Taliban after 72 days in detention at Intelligence Department 40 headquarters. The organization stated that the Taliban subjected Ahmed Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan to “arbitrary detention” and torture and subjected them to other abuses, including sleep deprivation and solitary confinement, to coerce them into making forced confessions that they were working against the Taliban regime.
The organization added that during the arrest of Mr. Afghan and Azimi, their personal belongings, including six laptops, their passports, cash, flash drives, memory cards containing study materials, work permits, and other information related to teachers and students, were discovered and confiscated by the Taliban. Amnesty International further emphasized that the detention of these two individuals was “contrary to international human rights laws” and stressed that they should be released immediately and unconditionally.
Meanwhile, following their control over the country, the Taliban have shown indifference to democracy and human rights issues, repeatedly detaining and torturing individuals who work in these areas and advocate for freedom of expression under various pretexts.
