Taliban detains well-known advocate for girls' education as harsh crackdown continues

Matiullah Wesa, a prominent activist for girls’ education in Afghanistan, was arrested by the Taliban on Monday. He is the founder of PenPath1, a non-governmental group that travels to the most remote areas in Afghanistan to set up mobile classrooms. The Taliban has stripped away freedoms hard won by women over the past two decades, with girls barred from returning to secondary schools and universities. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called on the Taliban to clarify his whereabouts and ensure his access to legal representation and contact with family. Wesa has long advocated for girls education in Afghanistan, and his Twitter account is full of posts calling for schools to reopen to girls and women.

Two of Wesa’s brothers were also arrested, Attaullah Wesa said in a video posted on Twitter. Attaullah Wesa said the Taliban insulted their children, mother, and the whole family and took away their phones. Abdul Haq Hammad, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, claimed he wasn’t aware of Wesa’ Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban to release Wesa “as soon as possible” following his arrest. Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pakistani activist, called for his release, saying Wesa’s NGO provided “mobile schools and libraries to Afghan girls and boys.” Mahbouba Seraj, Afghan women’s rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, said it was “unbelievable” the Taliban would arrest Wesa, who was not “doing anything wrong.” Mahbouba Seraj said the time had come for engagement with the Taliban on some level, as it is not the right way to go.