KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities have sentenced the director of the Ofuq-e Naw English language center and five of its teachers to prison on charges of “teaching Christian content” in central Daikundi province, local sources confirmed.
According to a reliable source who spoke to KabulNow, Sayed Habib Roshan, the center’s director, along with two other teachers, were each sentenced to five months, while the remaining three teachers received three-month sentences. The teachers were identified as Raziq Taqipour, Mohammad Asif Rahesh, Najaf, Rashid, and Esat.
The six were tried on Monday, May 19, by the Taliban’s primary court in Khidir district, the source said.
The Taliban’s intelligence wing in Khidir had initially arrested the group in January, later releasing them on bail. According to the source, they were re-arrested today and are expected to be transferred to the Taliban-run prison in Nili, the provincial capital.
Earlier sources told KabulNow that the Taliban accused the teachers of teaching English, promoting “infidel culture,” violating Emirate laws, and failing to include religious subjects in the curriculum.
The group has also shut down a branch of the center in Sangtakht-Bandar district and detained its staff, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
In a separate move, the Taliban also closed an English language center in Lal wa Sarjangal district of neighboring Ghor province.
Since reclaiming power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on educational activities, shuttering numerous institutions for reasons including the education of girls and the alleged promotion of non-Islamic values.
