02/02/2025
Recently, the Taliban de facto administration has detained several respected and influential religious scholars who have voiced criticism against the Taliban’s anti-human rights practices. These scholars have been subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment. Their advocacy for girls’ education, social inclusivity, the rule of law for all, the elimination of discrimination, and the establishment of an inclusive government has been met with condemnation by the Taliban.
Human Rights Defenders Plus (HRD+) strongly condemns these human rights violations committed by the Taliban de facto administration and raises the following concerns:
- Religious scholars, intellectuals, and civil activists play a crucial role in fostering tolerance and coexistence in the country. Insulting and mistreating them further wounds the collective consciousness and severely damages the social fabric.
- The demands put forward by these religious scholars reflect the aspirations of all Afghan citizens. No one has the right to disrespect the will and legitimate demands of the people of Afghanistan.
- The Taliban have begun a campaign of targeting the weak, particularly by arresting religious scholars and teachers and subjecting them to humiliation and degradation. In the current situation, where the Afghan people—except for the Taliban—are suffering from economic, political, social, and cultural hardships, such inhumane actions against the vulnerable inflict deep harm on the dignity of Afghan citizens.
Therefore, HRD+ urgently calls on the Taliban de facto administration to immediately release the country’s patriotic religious scholars, civil activists, and teachers from their dreadful prisons and to cease their mistreatment.
HRD+ sincerely urges all national institutions, including civil society organizations, the media, intellectual and advocacy groups, and political and cultural figures, to stand in solidarity and advocate for the release of these honourable citizens.
HRD+ also calls upon the UN monitoring bodies and various governments closely observing the situation in Afghanistan to work diligently for the protection and restoration of the human rights of victims in the country.