According to sources, the Taliban in Herat province have severely beaten, tortured, and imprisoned Dr. Mehrabuddin Ahmadi, a prominent veterinarian, after he protested the arrest of his wife.
Sources state that Dr. Ahmadi’s wife had gone to the city center with her father last Wednesday to purchase medicine when she was detained by officials from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. She was reportedly wearing a manto (a long tunic/coat worn as a hijab in Herat), which is considered conventional attire in the region.
The sources further add that when Dr. Ahmadi went to the department of Virtue and Vice to secure his wife's release and protested her detention, approximately 15 Taliban members assaulted and tortured him. He was allegedly beaten with fists, kicked, struck with rifle butts, and lashed with wet wooden sticks, sustaining severe physical injuries.
According to a medical source, Dr. Ahmadi suffered a fractured rib, a dislocated ankle, and severe lacerations and swelling across various parts of his body. He was reportedly transferred back to prison after receiving medical treatment.
Furthermore, sources claim that the Taliban attempted to force him into signing a document stating that his injuries were the result of a traffic accident; however, he refused to do so.
According to the sources, Dr. Ahmadi’s wife and father-in-law were subsequently released, but he remains in custody on charges of "insulting Taliban members."
On the other hand, sources report that the wave of detentions targeting women over their attire continues in Herat. Although local Taliban officials and the Ministry of Virtue and Vice have denied these allegations, sources claim that more than 50 women were detained in a single week. These claims have not been independently verified.
Additionally, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights noted in a report last year that various instances of torture and ill-treatment including beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, sleep deprivation, and mock executions have been documented in Taliban detention facilities.
Writer:Saeed Samples
