RASC News Agency: In a newly released report, Amnesty International underscores the significant deterioration of civil space in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power. The report emphasizes that the recent release of two educational activists, Ahmad Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan, from Taliban detention serves as a glaring example of the group’s widespread and ongoing crackdown on civil activists, journalists, and human rights defenders across the country.
Amnesty International’s report highlights a disturbing trend, marked by “arrests and systematic oppression,” illustrating the Taliban’s increasingly authoritarian approach towards civil society. The report asserts, “Since reclaiming power, the Taliban have relentlessly restricted activities related to education, women’s rights, and freedom of expression, using harsh measures to silence opposition.” Many activists, forced to flee Afghanistan, now face significant legal and financial challenges in neighboring countries, compounded by the constant threat of deportation back to Taliban-controlled territories.
The detention of the two activists reflects the Taliban’s broader and intensifying campaign against any form of civic engagement, particularly targeting efforts to advance the education and rights of women and children. Ahmad Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan were transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi prison after enduring 72 days of relentless interrogation. According to their families, the two were subjected to severe torture and mistreatment while in custody. Furthermore, they were denied access to independent legal representation and critical medical services, underlining the harsh and inhumane conditions pervasive in Taliban-run detention facilities.
This alarming situation underscores the Taliban’s unyielding assault on civil liberties, systematically targeting those working to promote education and the fundamental rights of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable, including women and children. The international community remains gravely concerned about these developments.
