On July 20, 2024, members of the Taliban’s intelligence service forcibly arrested Mohammad Anwar Panahi, the head of the economics faculty at Aburayhan University, apparently because of his alleged ties to foreign media.

Following Panahi’s arrest, photos showed the professor’s face bloodied after being beaten by the intelligence agents. The professor was taken to an undisclosed location. No reason for Panahi’s arrest was given publicly, but, according to media reports, the Taliban had previously threatened to arrest Panahi for collaborating with foreign media.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the apparently arbitrary arrest of a scholar. Absent further evidence of wrongdoing, this arrest suggests an effort to retaliate against or deter academic work or views — conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is a party. State authorities must respect academic freedom and nonviolent expressive conduct and refrain from actions intended to punish, restrict, or deter such conduct. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://kabulnow.com/2024/07/taliban-intelligence-agents-thrash-and-arrest-university-lecturer-in-kabul/
https://www.afghanwomennews.com/en/a-university-professor-in-kabul-arrested/
https://8am.media/eng/taliban-reprisals-200-arrested-and-8-executed-in-26-days/
https://x.com/PanjshirProvin1/status/1815666167689695365