UN says Afghan girls’ education activist arrested in Kabul

By RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations says an Afghan rights activist who has campaigned for girls’ education has been arrested in Kabul. Activist Matiullah Wesa is the founder and president of Pen Path, a local nongovernmental group that travels across Afghanistan with a mobile school and library. There was no word from the Taliban government on Tuesday about his arrest and it was unclear when it happened. Afghan girls are barred from school beyond the sixth grade and women are banned from university education. Wesa has repeatedly called on the Taliban to reverse their ban. The U.N. is urging authorities to clarify his whereabouts, the reasons for his arrest and to ensure his access to legal representation and contact with family.