RASC News Agency: The United Nations Human Rights Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, expressed satisfaction with the release of Zhulia Parsi and Nada Parwani from Taliban captivity, underscoring that these women should never have been subjected to imprisonment by the group. In a statement issued on Monday, December 18, Richard Bennett unequivocally demanded the immediate release of human rights defenders and journalists arbitrarily detained by the Taliban. Zhulia Parsi, a prominent women’s rights activist, was released on Monday, December 18, following about three months of detention.
It is noteworthy that the Taliban had apprehended Ms. Parsi on May 5 from her residence in Kabul. Likewise, on December 14, Neda Parwani, together with her husband and child, was freed from Taliban custody after nearly four months of detention. This activist and her family had been taken into custody by the group on September 19 in Kabul. This development unfolds against the backdrop of a surge in arbitrary detentions of Afghanistani citizens, human rights defenders, and journalists by the Taliban. In the latest episode, the group detained Rohullah Sangar, a journalist for Tolo News, in Parwan.
Despite facing international criticism, the Taliban persistently engages in arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders and journalists. These self-initiated arrests, coupled with the group’s stringent constraints on civil and social activities, have precipitated a notable decline in civil and social engagement in Afghanistan since the group assumed control of the country. Reports delineate widespread detainment, imprisonment, and torture of individuals by the Taliban, exposing a dire human rights situation under their rule.
