KABUL: Mawlawi Bahruddin Jozjani, Deputy Head of the National Movement Party, has been tortured in Kandahar Prison after being arrested by Taliban intelligence officials following his return to Kabul, his family said.
Jozjani, a member of the party associated with Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, had been living in Iran after the Taliban takeover. According to his family, he returned to Kabul about a month ago after receiving assurances from Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi and under the Taliban’s declared general amnesty.
However, he was detained shortly after arriving in Kabul by the Taliban’s Directorate of Intelligence and later transferred to Kandahar Prison.
Before contact was cut off, Jozjani sent a WhatsApp voice message to his family confirming that he had reached Kabul safely. His relatives said they then received no information about his condition for nearly a month.
The family said they have now learned that Jozjani was subjected to severe torture inside Kandahar Prison. They said his right eye had been seriously injured and that he faces the risk of losing his eyesight.
His detention is believed to be linked to his political background and his association with the National Movement Party.
Kandahar Prison has a long history of human rights violations, particularly against political detainees and opponents from northern Afghanistan.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about Taliban revenge tactics against former political figures who returned under amnesty promises.
