Conflicting Reports Emerge About Death Of Activist & Former Taliban Prisoner
Two days after the announcement of the death of Hamza Ulfat, a human rights activist in Daikundi, conflicting reports have been published about the manner of his death.
Two days after the announcement of the death of Hamza Ulfat, a human rights activist in Daikundi, conflicting reports have been published about the manner of his death.
A journalist close to the activist said that Ulfat had messaged him hours before the news of his death was broadcast and said that he had been wounded in a Taliban attack.
According to the source, Hamza Ulfat had traveled from Iran to Daikundi province to visit his mother and planned to migrate to Pakistan and from there to one of the Western countries.
The journalist shared a text attributed to Hamza Ulfat with Afghanistan International. "On January 16, the Taliban attacked me to arrest me," the message reads. “I escaped, but I was shot and now I am wounded." He also added, "I am hiding in a mountain, my situation is an emergency and I only have two days of food. I need help as soon as I can."
A source close to Hamza Ulfat also reported a phone conversation with the human rights activist, saying that Hamza Ulfat told him that the Taliban's bullet had hit an area below the knee and that he had tried to stop the bleeding by using ice, snow and bandages.
However, another source who was close to Hamza Ulfat denied the claim that he was killed, saying that Ulfat suffered from mental problems after his release from the Taliban prison and died at his home. According to the source, Hamza Ulfat had stuttered after his release from the Taliban's prison and repeatedly mentioned the Taliban's physical and psychological torture in his conversations.
Hamza Ulfat, who previously was a teacher and activist in western Kabul, was arrested by the Taliban on February 9, 2023, in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of western Kabul and released in July 2023.
Following the publication of conflicting news about the death of Hamza Ulfat, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Richard Bennett, has called for the Taliban to investigate and hold accountable the death of the human rights activist. Exact details of his death have not been released so far, and the Taliban have not commented on the matter.
