The founder of a school for girls in Afghanistan he was arrested in Kabul, reported the UN, which asked the Taliban authorities to explain the reasons for the arrest.
“Matiullah Wesahead of Pen Path and advocate for girls’ education, was arrested on Monday,” the UN mission in Afghanistan posted on Twitter.
The mission asked the authorities “to clarify where he is, the reasons for his detention and to provide him with access to legal representation and contact with his family.”
The Taliban regime last year excluded girls from secondary education, making Afghanistan a the only country in the world that prohibits the education of women beyond primary school.
A Wesa brother confirmed the arrest and specified that it happened on Monday night when he was leaving a mosque. “Matiullah had finished his prayers and was leaving the mosque when he was stopped by men in two vehicles,” Samiullah Wesa told AFP.
“When Matiullah asked them to see his identity papers, they beat him and took him away by force,” he added.
Samiullah and another of his brothers were also detained on Tuesday, a fourth brother, Attaullah Wesa, announced in a video posted on Twitter.
They were “captured, handcuffed and taken away,” Attaullah Wesa said, adding that authorities were also looking for him.
Matiullah Wesa, 30, is the founder and president of the Pen Path organization. According to Samiullah, he was arrested for his work in the education sector. “He never worked with anyone else, not even the previous government,” he insisted.
This organization, which campaigns for schools and distributes books in rural areas, has dedicated itself to communicating the importance of girls’ education among village leaders.
Since the girls’ education ban, Wesa has continued to visit remote areas to build support among the villagers.
“We are counting hours, minutes and seconds for the opening of schools for girls. He The damage that school closures cause is irreversible and undeniable.”Wesa tweeted last week as the school year began in Afghanistan.
“We had meetings with the neighbors and we will continue our protest if the schools continue to be closed,” he added.
The Taliban have imposed a harsh interpretation of Islam since they returned to power in August 2021 after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces that supported previous governments.
Taliban leaders, who also prevent women from attending university, have said they will reopen girls’ schools when certain conditions are met. They say they have neither the funds nor the time to adapt the school programs in accordance with Islamic principles.
The Taliban made similar promises during their first regime, from 1996 to 2001, but the girls’ schools never reopened in those years.
The order against girls’ education is believed to have come from the supreme leader of Afghanistan, Hibatullah Akhundzadaand their ultra-conservative acquaintances, who are skeptical of modern education, especially for women.
As well as generating international outrage, the closure sparked criticism within the movement, with some senior Kabul government officials and other officials opposing the decision.
In Afghanistan, a deeply conservative and patriarchal country, attitudes towards female education have slowly shifted in rural areas, where its advantages are recognized.
(With information from AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com