The Taliban have arrested prominent activist Farhat Popalzai, who took part in recent demonstrations against the authorities installed after the fundamentalists’ return to power, less than a week after a wave of arrests among activists in Afghanistan.
According to reports by the Afghan news agency Jaama Press, Popalzai, 23, has been detained by Afghan intelligence services, which have not yet commented on the situation.
Popalzai is one of the founders of the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women and was in charge of the social networks of the organization, which has indicated that the woman disappeared on Tuesday in Kabul, without her whereabouts being known for the moment.
The non-governmental organization Afghan Peace Watch has highlighted in its account on the social network Twitter that the woman «was arrested by the Taliban in Kabul» and has stated that «she has been in custody for four days»: The founder of Afghan Peace Watch, Habib Jan, has indicated through the same channel that the activist was «kidnapped by the Intelligence agency of the Taliban» and has recalled that «she participated in the recent protests of women against the regime».
Popalzai’s arrest came just days after the arrest of activists and journalists during a press conference called by an organization that brings together women from civil society, an incident that the UN office for Human Rights described as «deeply worrying».
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that «all Afghans have the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and opinion, without fear of arrest or intimidation» and called on the «de facto authorities» not to violate international obligations.
The Taliban have installed a government marked by a lack of women and representatives of other political groups, while implementing a series of measures that severely limit the rights of women and girls, including the closure of secondary schools for more than a year.
