KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International has reiterated its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmad Fahim Azimi, an education activist held in Taliban custody since October 2023.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) today, September 20, the rights group stated that the activist has been imprisoned for the past 11 months under false accusations.
“Afghan education activist Ahmad Fahim Azimi is spending 11 months in prison for a crime he has not committed,” the rights group said.
According to Amnesty International, in April 2024, after the activist rejected the Taliban court’s ruling, his case was referred for further investigation by the court, and it has since been unjustifiably delayed.
The rights group expressed concern about the health and well-being of the activist in the Taliban prison, saying that his mental health continues to deteriorate.
Ahmad Fahim Azimi and his colleague Seddiqullah Afghan were arrested by the Taliban Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) from their office in the Kart-e-Char neighborhood of Kabul city on October 17, 2023.
The two activists were working with an organization called Fekre Behtar educational organization. They were accused by the Taliban of opposing the regime’s authorities and assisting girls from the national robotic team in leaving the country after the group took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
While his colleague, Seddiqullah Afghan, was released on April 9 under the Taliban’s supreme leader’s Eid pardon for prisoners, Ahmad Fahim Azimi remains imprisoned in Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
Previously, Amnesty International reported that the activist was denied access to a lawyer during interrogation and medical support. His personal belongings, including laptops, passports, cash, and flash drives containing educational content and information on teachers and students, were seized during his detention.
Since his detention, the UN and various human rights organizations and advocates, including Amnesty International, have consistently called for his immediate and unconditional release. However, the ruling regime has yet to respond to these appeals.
Earlier in February, Amnesty International sent a letter to Taliban Director of Intelligence Abdul Haq Wasiq, expressing concerns about the activist’s arbitrary detention and demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
“Ahmad Fahim Azimi’s situation represents a clear violation of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and a fair trial – rights that are guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is a state party,” the rights group stated in the letter.
