RASC News Agency: Local sources in Herat have reported the detention of Abdul Qudoos Yasinzada, the founder and proprietor of Resalat Schools, by Taliban forces. According to these accounts, Yasinzada was apprehended ten days ago November 6, in Herat. However, his current location and the circumstances surrounding his arrest remain undisclosed. Thus far, the Taliban have refrained from providing any official statement or explanation for Yasinzada’s detention, leaving the reason shrouded in uncertainty.
Recognized as a prominent educational leader and a respected figure in Herat, Yasinzada holds a distinguished reputation among the local community. His detention has sparked concerns about the Taliban’s ongoing suppression of influential voices within Afghanistan’s educational and intellectual circles. Previously, the Taliban have targeted other educators, school administrators, and librarians in Herat, intensifying fears of a systematic effort to undermine educational progress and curtail independent thought. In a related development, Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, recently presented a report to the UN Security Council. Bennett’s findings reveal a disturbing pattern of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances carried out by the Taliban to suppress opposition and dissenting voices.
The report highlights numerous instances of unwarranted arrests, with hundreds detained without any formal charges or legal recourse. Bennett emphasized that the Taliban’s lack of accountability further emboldens them to perpetuate these violations. He called on UN member states to implement decisive measures should there be no substantial improvement in Afghanistan’s human rights situation. Since reclaiming power, the Taliban have been repeatedly accused of grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and even mass atrocities. These actions have exacerbated Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, drawing widespread condemnation from the international community.
