Taliban officials defend education activist’s arrest

Abdul Haq Hamad, a senior official at the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture, has said that the widespread reactions to the arrest of Matiullah Wesa, an education activist, indicate that a large conspiracy has been thwarted.

In a tweet on Tuesday he wrote: “The fact that the arrest of an individual has caused widespread reactions shows that a conspiracy has been prevented to the same extent.”

Zabihullah Mujahid, the group’s longtime spokesperson, told Amu TV that Matiullah Wesa had been arrested for “illegal activities and provocative gatherings.”

Wesa’s detention has been widely condemned by the UN, the EU and international human rights groups.