Ariana: The National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, has rejected claims of sexual abuse of boys in Logar schools, saying that seeking asylum was the main reason behind the allegations. In a statement released on Tuesday, NDS said that the claims made by Mohammad Musa Mahmudi, a civil society activist, and his colleagues were not based on evidences, and there were security threats against them. The NDS also released a footage of Mr. Mahmudi who apologizes from people and says that his investigation was “incorrect and incomplete”. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghan Forces Receive Five More MD530 Helicopters From US
Tolo News: The Afghan Air Force received five MD-530 Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopters on November 22. The helicopters were delivered to Kandahar via a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft on October 27 and were reassembled for active service within ten days, according to a statement by the US-based defense contractor MD Helicopters Inc., as quoted by The Diplomat. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan U-19 cricket team beats India in 3rd ODI
1TV: Afghan U-19 cricket team defeated India by three wickets in their third One-Day International match in Lucknow on Tuesday. The win was Afghanistan’s first in the five-match ODI series which India leads 2-1. Their next match will be on November 28. Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghanistan woman breaks ground with Kabul recycling plant
LA Times: After decades of conflict across Afghanistan, recycling is not at the top of most people’s agendas. But now, one Kabul woman is declaring war on the Afghan capital’s trash. Zuhal Atmar, 35, has set up a recycling plant where she processes 33 tons of garbage a week. She’s the first woman in Afghanistan to have launched such a business, often at a high personal cost. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – November 25, 2019
Karzai Urges Govt to Defend ‘Freedom of Speech’
Karzai (left) and Ghani (right)
Tolo News: Former president Hamid Karzai held a press conference on Monday and urged the Afghan government and Afghan forces to defend the freedom of speech and the people’s rights in the country. Karzai, addressing President Ghani, said the country’s situation is deteriorating and “we must not let the situation worsen.” Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghan Authorities Urged to Release Human Rights Investigators
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
November 25, 2019
ISLAMABAD – An international rights group on Monday demanded authorities in Afghanistan immediately release two local human rights defenders who exposed an alleged pedophile ring involved in the abuse of hundreds of school children.
In a statement, Amnesty International accused Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), of “arbitrarily” detaining Mussa Mahmoudi and Ehsanullah Hamidi in the eastern Logar province where the abuses occurred.
The activists were on their way to meet with the European Union ambassador in Kabul last Thursday when NDS operatives rounded them up, said the group.
Neither the Afghan government nor the NDS have responded to the allegations.
“Rather than punishing them for speaking out against these horrific crimes, the authorities should praise them for their work and hold the suspected perpetrators accountable through fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty,” said Samira Hamidi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International
Speaking in Kabul, former President Hamid Karzai called for the immediate release of the human rights defenders, “if the NDS arrested them.”
Mahmoudi and Hamidi began receiving threats, including from local officials in Logar, on social media after they gave interviews to domestic and foreign media about the existence of the pedophile ring in the area, according to relatives.
The activists were part of a civil society investigation that uncovered more than 100 videos of the alleged abuse, asserting that some victims were murdered. The probe alleged that the ring included school teachers, headwaters and provincial officials.
Local officials and some Afghan lawmakers have rejected and denounced the allegations as propaganda.
Afghan Education Minister Mirwais Balkhi tweeted last week that he had ordered an urgent investigation into the allegations after meeting provincial authorities “to assess and study the accusations.”
Amnesty decried the targeting of human rights defenders in Afghanistan.
“Faced with threats from both the state and non-state actors, they are operating in some of the most hazardous conditions anywhere in the world. There is impunity for attacks on these brave defenders, who have little to no protection,” the group said.
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1TV Afghanistan Dari News – November 14, 2019
Farah Residents Protest Civilian Casualties “From Airstrike”
Tolo News: A group of Farah residents gathered in Farah city on Sunday to protest the killing of nine civilians who they claim were targeted in an airstrike in Posht Rod district on Saturday. They brought the bodies on Saturday evening to the governor’s office and called for an investigation into the incident. Click here to read more (external link).
Foreign National Killed as Blast Hits UN Vehicle in Kabul
Ariana: An explosion hit the vehicle of the United Nations organization in the capital Kabul, the Interior Ministry confirmed. One foreign national was killed and five civilians including two staff members of the United Nations were injured after a grenade was thrown on UN vehicle, Rahimi added. Click here to read more (external link).
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