Taliban Arrest Two Social Activists in Herat for Demanding Reopening of Girls' Schools
The Taliban arrested two social activists in Herat after they called for the reopening of schools and universities to girls on social media. The arrested individuals are university professor Qudus Khatibi and Fayaz Ghori. Both had used Facebook to voice support for girls' education.
In a video posted on Friday, Khatibi criticized the nearly five-year closure of educational facilities to girls and urged the Taliban to fulfill their commitments. Ghori posted on the same platform expressing hope for the day when girls would have access to education.
Following their detention the two activists were transferred from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to the custody of the intelligence department. The arrests took place amid the Taliban's ongoing ban on secondary and higher education for girls which has been in effect for nearly five years.
The Taliban have arrested critics and civil activists multiple times for protesting their policies over the nearly five years they have been in power. The latest detentions reflect the continued enforcement of restrictions on female education in areas under their control.
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Where reports agree
- Taliban arrested Qudus/Qodos Khatibi and Fayaz Ghori in Herat for social media posts supporting girls' education
- The content of the Facebook posts by both activists is consistent across reports
- The Taliban have maintained a ban on girls' secondary and higher education for nearly five years
- The Taliban have a pattern of arresting critics of their policies
Where reports differ
- Transfer to Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice then Intelligence Department is only mentioned by Afghanistan International
- UNICEF statistic of 2.2 million girls out of school and warnings about forced marriages are only reported by Amu TV
- Slight variation in spelling of first name (Qudus vs Qodos)
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