Thirty-Eight Shia Residents Remain in Taliban Custody After Burial Dispute

Thirty-Eight Shia Residents Remain in Taliban Custody After Burial Dispute
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Thirty-eight residents of Kabul’s Afshar Darulaman district remain in detention today, marking nearly two weeks since they were arrested for protesting a controversial order by the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice.

The standoff began on December 10, when local residents gathered to protest a demand by Minister of Justice Abdul Hakim Sharie to exhume a recently buried body from a local cemetery. The Minister reportedly argued the cemetery’s proximity to government buildings necessitated the relocation of the graves, a claim the local Shia community rejected as a violation of their religious and civil rights.

According to local sources and reports from Afghanistan International, the detainees include several elderly community members and a local cleric. Family members, who were initially denied information regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones, have confirmed that the group is being held at the central police command in Kabul.

Human rights monitors have raised alarms over the health of the older detainees, many of whom require daily medication that has not been consistently provided. The incident has intensified concerns regarding the systemic marginalization of religious minorities under the current administration, as community elders continue to plead for the immediate and unconditional release of the protesters.