KUNDUZ (Amu tv): Taliban police in northern Kunduz province said they have arrested a social activist on charges of spreading what they described as “propaganda” against the Taliban.
In a statement Thursday, Taliban said the activist was detained by their counterterrorism unit and handed over to judicial bodies. They did not release the man’s name or further details.
The arrest comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent. In neighboring Khost province, Taliban intelligence recently detained Mohammadullah Gran, a social media activist, after he posted critical comments on Facebook, his relatives told Amu.
Rights groups say the Taliban have increasingly detained and beaten critics in recent months. On Tuesday, two people were arrested in Kunduz for alleged “propaganda on social media.” Earlier this year, Farooq Azam, an adviser in the Taliban’s Ministry of Energy and Water, was detained after criticizing Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada for banning female nurses from helping earthquake victims in Kunar.
The arrests come as the Taliban also move to restrict internet access, cutting fiber-optic services in 14 provinces so far. Human rights organizations have condemned the restrictions, calling them a serious threat to freedom of expression and “an inhumane act.”
