A prominent activist for girls’ education has been arrested in Afghanistan, in the latest sign that hardline Taliban authorities are determined to stamp out all opposition to their ban on girls and women attending school or universities.
Matiullah Wesa, founder and leader of the Pen Path charity, had been fighting for education for Afghan children who were out of school – both boys and girls – for more than a decade, with a focus on rural areas of southern Afghanistan.
Top diplomats and human rights groups, including a senior UN envoy and Amnesty International, called for his immediate release.
“He could have left Afghanistan, but he stayed despite the risks to work for his people, advocating for education rights for girls,” said Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia campaigner.
Wesa was detained after attending prayers at his local mosque on Friday, his brother, Attaullah Wesa, told the Guardian: “Matiullah was at the mosque in Kabul, offering his prayers. When he stepped out, there were gunmen in two vehicles who ran towards him to arrest him.”
“Our elder brother was with Matiullah and they tried to question the men, asked them to show ID, but they showed him their weapons instead and took him away,” he said, adding that the family was very concerned about Matiullah’s safety.
Wesa set up Pen Path with his brother in 2009. At first, they worked with religious scholars and tribal elders to build community support for educating all children, set up schools in villages where there was no government education, and sent mobile classrooms to the most remote areas.
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