Afghanistan: Girls' education activist arrested by Taliban

A salient Afghan campaigner for pistillate acquisition has been arrested by the Taliban, adjacent arsenic teenage girls and women stay barred from classrooms.

Matiullah Wesa, 30, who has travelled to distant parts of the state trying to amended entree to acquisition for each children, has often received threats.

The Taliban person not said wherefore Mr Wesa was taken into custody.

His apprehension comes amid the detention of a fig of activists who person been campaigning for women's education.

In February Prof Ismail Mashal, an outspoken professional of the prohibition connected acquisition for women, was arrested successful Kabul portion handing retired escaped books. He was freed connected 5 March but has not spoken retired since then.

Mr Wesa has been campaigning for girls' close to survey since the Taliban barred pistillate acquisition successful 2021.

His past tweet - connected Monday, a time earlier his apprehension - was a photograph of women volunteers for Pen Path "asking for the Islamic rights to acquisition for their daughters".

The UN's ngo successful Afghanistan has besides highlighted Mr Wesa's lawsuit and called connected the Taliban to clarify his whereabouts and the reasons for his detainment.

Women's rights person been gradually eroded since the Taliban returned to powerfulness successful 2021 pursuing the withdrawal of US-led forces.

Only boys and antheral teachers were allowed into secondary schools erstwhile they reopened successful September 2021.

There was a little spell of anticipation pursuing an announcement successful March 2022 that girls would beryllium allowed to be secondary schools. But tearful schoolgirls were turned distant aft what appeared to beryllium an abrupt U-turn by the leadership.

They said girls would beryllium allowed to instrumentality to schoolhouse aft "a broad program has been prepared according to Sharia and Afghan culture". But successful December 2022, pistillate students were besides barred from universities.

The Taliban accidental schools and universities are lone temporarily closed to women and girls until a "suitable environment" tin beryllium created.

But women are severely curtailed successful different ways too. The Taliban person decreed that women should beryllium dressed successful a mode that lone reveals their eyes, and indispensable beryllium accompanied by a antheral comparative if they are travelling much than 72km (48 miles).

And past November, women were banned from parks, gyms and swimming pools, stripping distant the simplest of freedoms. The enforcement of the rules is antithetic successful antithetic areas, but the rules make an situation of fearfulness and anxiety.

The restrictions person continued contempt planetary condemnation and protests by mean women arsenic good arsenic activists speaking up connected their behalf.

They person besides hindered the enactment of overseas assistance groups aft the Taliban said women could not enactment successful home and planetary NGOs but successful the wellness sector.

Some organisations were forced to suspend services astatine a clip erstwhile the state is reeling from a terrible economical and humanitarian crisis.