Amnesty International calls for the unconditional release of Ahmad Fahim Azimi

The South Asia branch of Amnesty International has demanded the unconditional release of education activist Ahmad Fahim Azimi. The organization issued a statement on its website advocating for the immediate and unconditional release of the activist.

According to the statement, he was arbitrarily arrested at his office in Karta Char, Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) District 40, on 17 October 2023. He sentenced to one year in prison by a primary court on charges of preaching and opposing the Taliban.

The statement also mentions the release of another education activist, Seddiqullah Afghan, under a Taliban leader’s pardon, while Ahmad Fahim Azimi remains unjustly imprisoned in Pul-e-Charkhi prison.

The statement adds: “His arrest, arbitrary detention, and unfair trial are against international human rights law. He must be immediately and unconditionally released.”

Since coming to power, the Taliban has banned girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and has been cracking down heavily on education activists.