Pierre Mayaudon, head of the European Union’s delegation to Afghanistan, on Thursday condemned the “extrajudicial detention of human rights activists” by the National Directorate of Security (NDS), and called for the protection of all activists and the children who were sexually abused in Logar province.

The top EU diplomat in Afghanistan spoke out strongly against the recent detention of two activists from Logar province, who recently exposed allegations of sexual abuse of children and youth in Logar province and were detained by the NDS and presumably coerced into making taped confessions that they had “exaggerated” their original claims.

“This kind of incident shouldn’t be repeated and shouldn’t be tolerated,” said Mayaudon.

The EU envoy also called for the protection of the activists and the children who were sexually abused.

He thinks the “situation” needs to be considered in a “broader context” than what has ”happened in Logar province.”

“It must be the priority to protect the children who have been subjected to this sexual violence” and also the “two human rights activists,” he said.

First, he said, you need to provide protection for the children and the activists, then you seek “clarity” about the situation, said Mayaudon.

This comes a day after the NDS handed over two civil society activists, Musa Mahmoudi and Ehsanullah Hamidi, to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).

“Detention of these two activists, this is perfectly illegal” and there should be no tolerance for “this kind of extrajudicial operation,” said Mayaudon.

“We were extremely disturbed, extremely shocked by what we heard about the situation first in Logar and the arrest, the baseless arrest of these two human rights activists who tried to document the situation in Logar province,” he said.

Afghans commenting on Thursday about the situation:

“The National Directorate of Security is not acting on its own, the NDS is an organ that operates under the Presidential Palace. The decision was probably carried out on the basis of directives and guidelines of high level officials,” said Sediqullah Tawhidi, a member of Journalists Protection Committee.

Meanwhile, Naeem Nazari, a member of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said that although the two activists are not monitored by the commission, but they are in safe place.

“There is a need for further investigation to find out the level of the alleged crimes. The commission is fully prepared to investigate the issue neutrally alongside the civil society institutions,” said Nazari.