KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International has called on the Taliban to immediately and unconditionally release education activist Wazir Khan, who has been in custody for more than a week.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the rights group voiced concern over his condition and whereabouts, saying his family has been unable to contact him or determine his location since his arrest.
The Independent earlier reported that Wazir Khan, 25, was detained by Taliban intelligence agents at his home in Kabul on February 24.
The activist has been advocating for girls’ education in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have officially banned female students from attending secondary school and university. Since 2022, he has also been running Today Child, a non-profit organisation raising awareness about girls’ education, particularly in rural areas.
Social media posts on his personal account show him distributing books to children in remote areas and engaging with tribal elders to promote education for both boys and girls.
“Wazir Khan has been peacefully promoting education across Afghanistan,” Amnesty International said. “The Taliban de facto authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him.”
The Taliban has not yet commented on the matter.
His detention follows a pattern of arrests targeting education activists. In March 2023, the Taliban arrested Matiullah Wesa in Kabul after he spent months travelling to remote areas with a mobile library, campaigning for women’s and girls’ right to education.
Wesa was released in October 2023 after enduring months of ill-treatment and torture in Taliban custody.
