“We still have not seen him,” said a family member about Musa Mahmoudi, the activist who reported widespread allegations of sex abuse of boys in Logar province earlier in November.
Mahmoudi and his colleague Ehsanullah Hamidi were detained by the NDS two weeks about but were released on November 27 after condemnations by Amnesty International, AIHRC, the UN as well as the US, UK, German, and Dutch embassies, among others.
“Mr. Mahmoudi and Mr. Hamidi stay in the place where they feel safe and secure,” said Zabiullah Farhang, head of the media department of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
But some find the lack of information about the activists concerning:
“The institutions, particularly those like the human rights commission who are supposed to be the defenders of human rights, should respect the values and promote them instead of hindering access to information,” said Fahim Dashti, head of Afghanistan National Journalists Union.
At the same time, the Ministry of Education has confirmed that the team which was supposed to start probing the allegations has not started its job.
“Work is underway on the structure of the task team and this will be finalized soon to see who should be in the formation of the team to go to Logar,” said Nooria Nuzhat, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education.
“The investigative team is responsible to undertake its investigation in line with the law with complete neutrality and honesty,” said Jamshid Rasuli, a spokesman for the Attorney General of Afghanistan.
But Amnesty International meanwhile levelled criticism at the Afghan government over what the body described as “negligence” for its failure to investigate the case.
Residents in Kabul have also said that reports of sexual abuse of children in Logar have made them concerned about the safety of their own children.
“We call on the government to arrest the perpetrators,” said Mari, a resident in Kabul.
“Culprits behind these events should be punished regardless of their post and position,” said Latif, a resident in Kabul.
“The government intends to cover up the case,” said Enayatullah a resident in Kabul.