ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have arrested a well-known Afghan model and three of his colleagues, accusing them of disrespecting Islam and the Koran, the Muslim holy book, according to videos released by Afghanistan’s new rulers.
Ajmal Haqiqi, known for his fashion shows, YouTube videos and modeling events, appeared in handcuffs in videos posted on Twitter by the Taliban intelligence agency on Tuesday.
In a widely circulated and controversial video, Haqiqi is seen laughing as his colleague Ghulam Sakhi, who is known to have a speech impediment that he uses for humor, recites verses from the Koran in Arabic, in a comical voice.
After the arrests, the Taliban released a video of Haqiqi and his colleagues, seen standing in tan prison uniforms and apologizing to the Taliban government and religious scholars.
The video was accompanied by a tweet in the Dari language that read: “No one can insult the Qur’anic verses or the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Later Wednesday, Amnesty International issued a statement urging the Taliban to “immediately and unconditionally” release Haqiqi and his colleagues.
Amnesty has documented several arbitrary arrests by the Taliban in Afghanistan, often accompanied by coerced statements in an attempt to quell dissent in the country and discourage others from expressing their views.
Samira Hamidi, an Amnesty South Asia activist, denounced the arrests, saying that by arresting “Haqiqi and his colleagues and forcing them to apologize”, the Taliban have launched “a blatant attack on the right to freedom of expression”. Her statement also condemned the Taliban’s “continuous censorship of those who wish to freely express their ideas.”
In Kabul, Taliban officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment and it was unclear what measures the model and her colleagues face under the Taliban-run judiciary.
The families of the arrested models also could not be immediately reached for comment.
Since taking power last August in Afghanistan during the final weeks of the US troop withdrawal from the country, the Taliban have imposed strict measures and edicts in accordance with their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, restricting in particular the rights of women and minorities.
The moves have raised international concerns that the radical Islamic group intends to rule as it did the last time the Taliban held power in Afghanistan, in the late 1990s. The Taliban believe that criticism and anything perceived as disrespect to Islam is a punishable offence.
Amnesty said that since taking power, the Taliban “have been using intimidation, harassment and violence against anyone who has expressed support for human rights or modern values, especially human rights defenders, women activists, journalists and members of the academic world, among others”.
The human rights group also urged the Taliban as the de facto authority in Afghanistan to “comply with international human rights law and respect everyone’s right to freedom of expression without discrimination.”
Source: apnews.com