Arbitrary Arrests Weaken Trust on Taliban, Says EU Special Envoy

Tomas Niklasson, the European Union's Special Envoy for Afghanistan, said that arbitrary arrests of Afghans who stand up for their rights and the rights of others, are illegal.

Niklasson said that these arrests weaken the trust needed for building domestic legitimacy and constructive dialogue.

He also joined the campaign for the release of Matiullah Wesa, Zholia Parsi, and Neda Parwani on social media platform X and called for their release.

Nabila Massrali, Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, also called on the Taliban to cease arbitrary arrests, and release human rights activists Zholia Parsi and Neda Parwani, along with their families, and demanded the release of Matiullah Wesa, an education rights activist in Afghanistan, who has been held in Taliban custody for six months.