RASC News Agency: In a stark reminder of the Taliban’s deepening campaign of ethnic and social repression, intelligence operatives affiliated with the group have detained a prominent ethnic Uzbek social activist in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Badakhshan. The arrest took place on Tuesday, May 13, in the Argo district, underscoring the regime’s growing intolerance toward civic engagement, particularly from non-Pashtun communities. The activist, identified by local sources as Emdadul Haq Tural, is known for his advocacy on behalf of the Uzbek population in Badakhshan. According to those familiar with the case, Tural was taken into custody solely for his community work and his efforts to preserve and promote Uzbek cultural identity an initiative that appears increasingly unwelcome under the Taliban’s draconian rule. No formal charges have been announced, and his current condition remains unknown, raising serious concerns about his safety amid credible reports of mistreatment, torture, and enforced disappearances in Taliban custody.
The Taliban has thus far refused to comment on the detention, maintaining its pattern of opacity and impunity. This silence characteristic of the group’s broader governance style has amplified fears among human rights defenders and local communities alike, who see the incident as yet another example of the Taliban’s ruthless efforts to silence independent voices and dismantle what remains of Afghanistan’s civil society. Observers note that the arrest is not an isolated case but part of a coordinated campaign of suppression, particularly in ethnically diverse provinces such as Badakhshan, where the Taliban has systematically targeted minority activists, journalists, educators, and local leaders. The regime’s actions are aimed not merely at silencing dissent but at reshaping the country’s cultural and ethnic landscape through force and fear.
Human rights organizations, both domestic and international, have strongly condemned the arrest, calling for Tural’s immediate and unconditional release. They argue that the continued persecution of activists like Tural is a direct violation of Afghanistan’s obligations under international human rights law, and a clear indication that the Taliban is intent on transforming Afghanistan into a monolithic and ideologically rigid state. The situation in Badakhshan has become increasingly precarious, as the Taliban’s presence has led to a steady deterioration in both security and social freedoms. In a province once known for its relative openness and ethnic diversity, residents now live under the constant threat of surveillance, arbitrary detention, and cultural erasure.
This arrest serves as a grim indicator of the Taliban’s broader strategy: to suppress ethnic plurality, eliminate autonomous civic action, and entrench an exclusionary regime where power is concentrated in the hands of a narrow, ethnonationalist elite. As Afghanistan’s multiethnic identity continues to be systematically dismantled, the international community faces growing pressure to move beyond symbolic condemnations and take tangible steps to protect the rights of Afghanistan’s persecuted minorities. The fate of Emdadul Haq Tural, and countless others like him, now rests in the hands of a regime that has shown little regard for justice, legality, or human dignity. His detention is not merely an attack on an individual, but on the very idea of pluralism, civil rights, and ethnic equality in Afghanistan.
