Afghan Education Activist Matiullah Wesa To Be Tried Without Access to Lawyer
A member of “Pen Path” organisation said that in the coming days, the Taliban will prosecute Matiullah Wesa, an Afghan education activist.
A member of “Pen Path” organisation said that in the coming days, the Taliban will prosecute Matiullah Wesa, an Afghan education activist.
According to the source, the Taliban did not allow Wesa to call for a lawyer and his trial will be held without the presence of one.
At the same time, Amnesty International has recently launched a campaign for the immediate release of Matiullah Wesa from Taliban’s detention.
Amnesty International reported that Wesa was detained for advocating against the prohibition of girls' education and has been in custody for six months.
Matiullah Wesa leads Pen Path, an organisation that has worked in remote villages in eastern and southern Afghanistan, encouraging local people to support their children's education.
He was arrested near his house in Kabul in March 2023. The Taliban have claimed that Wesa was arrested because of "anti-government activities".
A member of Pen Path told Afghanistan International, "There's no distinction between the Taliban court and the field courts; they lack due procedures.”
Amnesty International expressed deep concerns over the arbitrary detention of Zholia Parsi, women’s rights activist, and asked for the immediate release of her and other activists from the Taliban prison.
The rights organisation urged the Taliban to cease arbitrary and illegal detention of activists, journalists and critics of the group.
In a statement published on Friday, Amnesty International wrote that due to the gross violation of human rights by the Taliban, which is considered a crime under international law, including crimes against humanity and against women, the organisation called for establishment of an independent international accountability mechanism regarding human rights violators.
On Wednesday, September 27, the Taliban arrested Zholia Parsi, leader of the Spontaneous Movement of Protesting Women, along with her son in Kabul.
In the last two weeks, this is the second time that the Taliban has arrested a woman protester.
On September 19, the Taliban arrested Neda Parwani, another member of the movement, along with her husband and child.
The Taliban has not yet commented on the arrest of these people.
In the last two years, the Taliban has always arrested activists, journalists and university professors who oppose the group's thinking and policies.
Currently, Mortaza Behboudi, a journalist; Rasoul Parsi, a university professor, and Matiullah Wesa, an activist for girls' education, are also in prison under the Taliban.
A number of human rights organisations have demanded the release of these Afghan human rights activists.
A group of Afghan women's rights activists in Germany resumed their sit-in protest for the recognition of "gender apartheid" in Afghanistan.
On Friday, September 29, Tamana Zaryab Paryani set up a protest tent in Wipperfurt, Germany, calling on Afghan activists in Europe to join this campaign.
On social media platform X, Paryani wrote, "We appeal to the conscience of women and all individuals who value freedom in Germany, urging them to stand in solidarity with their sisters in Afghanistan and not allow the gender apartheid under the regime to continue in Afghanistan."
These women's rights activists went on a hunger strike from September 1 to September 13 in a sit-in tent located in Cologne, Germany.
They also spoke with the German, US and UN representatives, but it appears that these conversations did not succeed in meeting their demands to recognise the gender apartheid under the Taliban.
Earlier, Paryani had issued a statement saying that she had clearly conveyed the message of Afghan women to the German Foreign Ministry during her meeting with the representative of the German Foreign Ministry, but she did not receive a clear answer.
During the Moscow Format meeting, special representatives of a several regional countries stressed on counter-terrorism and the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
Referring to the widespread violation of human rights in Afghanistan, these representatives asked the Taliban to respond to the concerns of the international community.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan, said that the international community’s concerns regarding the human rights and women's rights have not been answered.
He added that two-thirds of the Afghan people depend on humanitarian aid to survive.
He stated that the international community has not achieved anything in Afghanistan in the last two years.
Durrani said, "To be honest, we should not hold the Afghan people hostage for our own interests. Let's ask what the international community has done for the people of Afghanistan in the last two years?"
Durrani stated that the countries of the region should have an active and positive approach in Afghanistan.
He added that Pakistan wants to increase humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and asked the international community to be aware of the needs and problems of the Afghan people. Asif Durrani stressed that assistance to Afghanistan should be increased in development sector and beyond the humanitarian aid.
He said that Pakistan supports the approach of regional countries towards Afghanistan.
The Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan was held on Friday in Kazan city of Russia.
Representatives of Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have attended the meeting.
Inclusive government
Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, stressed that the key to peace in Afghanistan is to ensure women's rights and to form an inclusive government in the country.
He said that Afghanistan's neighbours are trying to improve the country's situation.
The Chinese representative blamed United States for the current situation in Afghanistan. He added that Beijing has tried to improve the economic situation of the people of Afghanistan.
Addressing the participating countries, he stressed on the cooperation of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries to improve the situation in Afghanistan.
According to him, drugs and terrorism are among other challenges which require practical actions. He added that the Taliban "managed to eliminate ISIS in Khorasan, but it is not enough”.
Xiaoyong also called for the lifting of sanctions against the Taliban.
A Taliban delegation headed by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the group's foreign minister, also participated as "guests" in the Moscow format meeting.
Counter-Terrorism and Human rights
Talgat Kaliyev, Kazakhstan's representative for Afghanistan, stated during the Moscow Format meeting that if the Taliban seeks recognition, they must adhere to their commitments in the Doha Agreement, including fighting against drugs, countering terrorism, and respecting human rights and women's rights.
He added that Kazakhstan is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in economic and educational sectors. He also noted that Kazakhstan maintains nearly USD one billion in trade with Afghanistan.
In this meeting, he expressed hope that the next meeting of the Moscow format will be held in Almaty.
Emphasis on girls' education
Talatbek Masadykov, Kyrgyzstan's representative for Afghanistan, also stressed on the education and work of Afghan women in the meeting and said, "According to Islamic law, if you want to educate a nation, educate a girl."
He stated that the CASA 1000 project is important and said that Kyrgyzstan is ready to have friendly relations with Afghanistan.
He addressed the international community and said that humanitarian aid to Afghanistan should not be politicised. He further emphasised that the problem of Afghanistan should be solved, but not by force.
Concern regarding the growth of terrorist groups in Afghanistan
During the Moscow format meeting, Sharaf Rahimi, the representative of the Tajikistan president for Afghanistan affairs, said that terrorist groups have increased in Afghanistan and Afghan youths are trying to join terrorist groups.
Rahimi emphasised that these groups have light and heavy weapons.
He added that it was found that these terrorist groups financed themselves through drug sales.
He further clarified that the situation in Afghanistan is critical and the people are suffering from extreme poverty. He added that addressing severe human rights issues, improving the challenging economic situation, and establishing an inclusive government in Afghanistan are shared desires among all neighbouring countries.
Rahimi said that this country shares a 400-kilometer border with Afghanistan, and all donor countries can use Tajikistan's borders.
Pawan Kapoor, India’s representative in this meeting, said that Lashkar-e-Taiba, ISIS and extremist groups are the concerns of India and neighbouring countries.
He added that drug trafficking and cultivation have decreased in Afghanistan, but the price of drugs has not decreased.
Kapoor emphasised that India is fully committed to cooperate with neighbouring countries to ensure peace and security in Afghanistan.
Referring his country’s assistance to Afghanistan, he said that Delhi has contributed over three billion dollars to more than 15 projects.
Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF), said that there are no ongoing peace negotiations with the Taliban.
He vowed to intensify "guerrilla attacks" against the Taliban to bring the group to the negotiations table.
Massoud said that the number of forces of the front has increased from 1,200 to 2,000.
On Thursday, September 28, during a book launch event in Paris, Massoud asserted that the only way to legitimise the Taliban would be through elections. However, according to Massoud, the Taliban is not expected to commit to the elections.
The NRF leader said, "The Taliban reject any form of dialogue and insist that both the international community and the people of Afghanistan accept them as the only viable option, while it is not the case."
He pointed out that the Taliban are fully equipped and said that the front had to change their fighting tactics.
Massoud said that we chose a more pragmatic approach last year, and that is guerilla attacks. “That's why we are less visible, but we have more impact,” he said.
He added that his forces do not receive any military support and rely on the existing weapons stockpiles. He said they need more ammunition.
Massoud stated that creating problems for the Taliban or causing them significant suffering to compel them to engage in genuine and meaningful negotiations should suffice; there is no need to oust them.
Massoud also rejected any offer to return to Afghanistan as part of the Taliban's programme for the return of former Afghan officials to the country.
"Those who left Afghanistan, left for more than a house or a car. They left for great causes. They left for some principles," he said.
However, Massoud said that if the Taliban announce that they will accept the elections, he would consider returning to Afghanistan.
Zamir Kabulov, Russia's Special Representative for Afghanistan, said that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has no plan to meet the Taliban’s foreign minister.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, has travelled to Russia to participate in the Moscow Format meeting.
This meeting is being held on Friday in Kazan.
Kabulov said that the Russian Foreign Minister has not invited the Taliban delegation to participate in the Moscow format meeting.
The Russian Foreign Minister bears no obligations towards "the guests I have personally invited”, said Kabulov.
The Russian representative stated, "I want to emphasise that the Taliban are not participants, but guests of the Moscow format meeting. There is a fundamental difference between the two," he said.
He added that Moscow Format has the participation of 10 countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
According to him, representatives of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey are also present as observers in the Moscow Format meeting.
Forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan is one of the topics that is going to be discussed in the meeting.