In a concerning development, sources from Kabul have reported that the Taliban, approximately three months after the arrest of the human rights activist Shamsurrahman Rahiq, have now detained his younger brother.

According to informed sources in the city, the Taliban arrested Mohammad Mehrban Morshed on Wednesday, August 23rd, from Kabul’s third security district. The details of his whereabouts remain undisclosed.

Mohammad Mehrban Morshed is a third-year student at Kabul University, as per sources. The Taliban’s grounds for his arrest, however, remain unknown.

As of now, the Taliban has not issued any official statement regarding this matter.

It’s worth mentioning that on May 24, 2023, the Taliban intelligence forces arrested Shamsurrahman Rahiq for the second time in Kabul. Rahiq is a prominent human rights activist and resident of the Dara district of Panjshir province.

Rahiq is also reported to have previously worked as a staff member for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), although the organization has not yet commented on his case.

Based on the published reports, it is noted that about a year ago, the Taliban had forcibly taken Shamsurrahman Rahiq’s father from his home in Panjshir and shot him. His father was a former member of the previous government’s army.