As a government official defended the detention, calls for the Taliban to release a girls’ free education activist arrested earlier this week in Kabul grew louder.
Who is Matiullah Wesa?
Matiullah Wesa, the creator and president of Pen Path, a local nongovernmental organisation that travels across Afghanistan with a mobile school and library, arrested on Monday in Kabul.
The Taliban have imposed restrictions on girl’s and minority liberties in Afghanistan since their takeover. Girls prohibited from continuing their education past the seventh grade, and the Taliban banned women from attending colleges last year.
Mr. Wesa has outspoken in his demands for girls to be able to attend school and study. He has repeatedly urged the Taliban-led government to lift the bans. His most recent tweets coincided with the start of the new academic year in Afghanistan. Where females are still barred from entering classrooms and universities.
Late on Tuesday, Karen Decker, the US charge d’affaires for Afghanistan, expressed her concern over “multiple, disturbing reports” of Afghans detained while participating in peaceful demonstrations in support of their goals.
Hamid Karzai, a former president of Afghanistan, expressed his sadness upon learning of Mr. Wesa’s detention.
According to local reports, Mr. Wesa detained by Taliban security agents following his return from a trip to Europe. Taliban officials have not officially announced his arrest, whereabouts, or motives.
“His actions were suspicious”
The detention was justified, according to Abdul Haq Humad, the ministry of information and culture’s head of publications.
He stated in a tweet that “his actions were suspicious. So the system has the right to ask such people for an explanation.”
It is well known that a person’s arrest sparked such a strong response that a plot thwarted.
According to Mr. Wesa’s brother, Taliban forces allegedly surrounded the family house on Tuesday, beating family members and taking the activist’s cell phone
. A hashtag has created by social media advocates to call for Mr. Wesa’s release. Many posts denounced his detention and urged the activist’s quick release.
Door-To-Door Campaign
A door-to-door campaign started by Mr. Wesa and others from Pen Path to support females’ education.
In recent social media posts, Mr. Wesa stated, “We have been volunteering for 14 years to contact people. We spread the message for girls’ education.
We conducted a door-to-door campaign over the course of the last 18 months. To eradicate illiteracy and put a stop to all of our suffering.
Conclusion
Wesa’s arrest comes at a time when Afghanistan is facing an educational crisis. With the Taliban takeover, many girls and women has forced out of schools and universities. Leaving them without access to education and opportunities for advancement. The situation is particularly dire for girls. Who face severe restrictions on their freedom and often forced into early marriage and domestic servitude.
Wesa’s arrest is a stark reminder of the challenges that girls and women in Afghanistan face in accessing education and basic human rights. It is imperative that the Taliban-led government takes immediate action to release Wesa. Also other human rights activists who detained, and to ensure that girls and women provided with equal opportunities to education and advancement.
