A prominent Afghan university professor arrested by Taliban authorities after criticizing them on TV was released on Tuesday, his son said.
Professor Faizullah Jalal was detained in Kabul on Saturday and taken to an unknown position by Taliban forces, who stormed back to power in August.
Since their preemption, the group has cracked down on dissent, strongly dispersing women’s rights demurrers and briefly detaining several Afghan intelligencers.
“ After further than four days of detention on unwarranted charges, I confirm that Professor Jalal is now eventually released,” twittered his son Hasina Jalal, a fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, after launching a social media crusade calling for his release.
After more than four days of detention on baseless charges, I confirm that Professor Jalal is now finally released! @BBCYaldaHakim @LinaRozbih @Samiullah_mahdi @MunazaShaheed @EjazMalikzada @AnisaShaheed1 @Wayand_ @MSharif1990 @emmaclarkuk @SuneEngel @Samiullah_mahdi
— Hasina Jalal (@HasinaJalal) January 11, 2022
Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had twittered that Jalal had made statements on social media in which he was “ trying to instigate people against the system”.
“ He has been arrested so that others do not make analogous senseless commentary. that detriment the quality of others,” he added.
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Jalal’s family said the tweets participated by Mujahid were from a fake Twitter account they had tried to get shut down.
“ The Taliban are just using these posts as a reason to silence a strong voice within the country,” Hasina told AFP after the arrest.
Clips of Jalal’s TV appearances attacking the Taliban’s forceful rule and the worsening profitable situation had preliminarily gone viral on social media, sparking concern he risked Taliban retaliation.
In one live talk show, he called Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem — who was also sharing — a “ shin”, a grave personality in Afghanistan.
Jalal, in his late 50s, had refused offers to leave the country after the Taliban seized power, living substantially in hiding in Kabul while his family fled to Europe, his son said.
A long-time professor of law and political wisdom at Kabul University, Jalal has earned a character as a critic of Afghanistan’s leaders over the once decades.
