The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan on Friday called for the immediate release of six staff members of the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation who have been detained in Kabul for three weeks without charges.
Richard Bennett, the U.N.'s independent expert on
Afghanistan, said the six employees had been held for 21 days without being
formally charged or brought before a court.
"It’s 21 days since six staff of the Women and Children
Legal Research Foundation were arbitrarily detained in Kabul with no charges
brought against them in court," Bennett wrote on X. "I am seriously
concerned and urge their immediate release."
The circumstances surrounding the detentions were not
immediately clear, and the Taliban authorities have not publicly commented on
the case.
The Women and Children Legal Research Foundation is an
Afghan organization that provides legal assistance and advocates for the rights
of women and children.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have
repeatedly raised concerns over arbitrary detentions and restrictions on civil
society in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
