Family fears for outspoken professor in Taliban custody

Professor Ismail Mashal, a university lecturer and outspoken campaigner for women’s education in Afghanistan, was arrested by the Taliban government on 2 February 2023. More than 10 days later, his family has no information on his whereabouts, reports BBC News.

“We have not had any contact with him since he was taken. We are extremely worried,” a relative told the BBC. “We have been knocking on every door of the administration that we can, to get some information about him, and find out what condition he’s in. But no-one says anything.”

Mashal was taken into custody when he was distributing free books in the Dehbori area of Kabul, near the higher education ministry. Stuck on his handcart which carried the books was a handmade tree. On the top branch was painted a line in Dari that read: “Islam has given women and men equal rights to education.” Mashal was slapped, kicked, punched and pushed to the ground by Taliban security forces who arrested him, eyewitnesses have told the BBC.
Full report on the BBC News site

See also the Human Rights Watch site