Matiullah Wesaan activist and defender of education of girls and youth in Afghanistan, was detained by the Taliban authorities. The UN He demanded that the Taliban force explain his capture and whereabouts, as well as access to legal representation and communication with his family.

“Matiullah Wesa, head of Pen Path and advocate for girls’ education, was arrested on Monday,” the UN mission in Afghanistan wrote on Twitter.

Samiullah Wesa, Matiullah’s brother, confirmed that the 30-year-old man was apprehended Monday night as he left a mosque. Matiullah had finished his prayers and then left the mosque he was stopped by men in two vehicles”, Wesa assured AFP.

“When Matiullah asked them to see their identity papers, they beat him and forcibly took him awayhe added.

Since the Taliban regime came to power in Afghanistan, girls and women have gradually lost their rights in the Middle Eastern country. Currently, secondary and university education is prohibited for Afghan girls.

Matiullah Wesa, 30, is the founder and president of the Pen Path organization. According to Samiullah, he was arrested for his work in the education sector. “He never worked with anyone else, not even the previous administration,” he insisted.

Wesa’s organization actively advocates for girls’ rights and access to education, distributing books in remote areas and conducting campaigns. “We are counting hours, minutes and seconds for girls to open schools. The damage school closures are doing is irreversible and undeniable,” Matiullah tweeted last week as the school year began in Afghanistan.

“We had meetings with the neighbors and we will continue our protest if the schools remain closed,” he said.

The Taliban promised to open schools for Afghan girls and young women if they meet certain conditions, but so far there is no money to adapt school programs to Islamic principles.

The order against girls’ education is said to come from Afghanistan’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and his ultra-conservative acquaintances, who are skeptical of modern education, especially for women.