Last week, the Taliban released Matiullah Wesa, who had advocated for girls’ rights to an education, after seven months behind bars.
It was not yet clear as to why the Taliban released Wesa, and he has not spoken with the media.
Attaullah Wesa, Matiullah’s brother, told DW that the Taliban had raided the family’s home in March, around the time Matiullah was arrested while leaving a mosque in Kabul. The brother said the Taliban had accused Wesa and the family of being involved with “espionage.”
After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the hard-line Islamist group began dismantling any semblance of women’s and girls’ rights that existed in the country.
In 2022, the Taliban barred girls from attending secondary school and university, making Afghanistan one of the world’s most restrictive countries when it comes to educating women. The Taliban have claimed they would open schools and universities for girls after arranging segregated classes for girls and boys.
