human rights defender
Ezatullah Zawab
Actions and Campaigns
Ezatullah Zawab
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Urgent support needed
Evacuation and relocation to a safer place
Financial support
Medical assistance
HRD's year of birth
1979
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
Ezatullah Zawab is an Afghan poet and journalist who formerly served as editor-in-chief of Mina, a leading Pashto-language magazine. Though trained as an engineer, his passion for poetry led him to publish works criticizing the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education.
He was previously summoned and threatened by Taliban intelligence, and in January 2024, he was arrested while traveling from Kabul to Jalalabad. He spent 117 days in custody and was later released.
His magazine, Mina, which had resumed publication in late 2023, was halted again following his arrest. He has faced ongoing threats for his advocacy and literary expression.
Detained since
Jan 24, 2024
Date of release
May 20, 2024
Charge(s)
- Anti-government propaganda
Latitude: 34.51988221044194
Longitude: 69.34802560944671
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: Southern Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Kabul
Location of detention - Facility
Pol e Charkhi prison
Recent case update / evolution
Ezatullah Zawab was threatened by the Taliban for publishing a poem criticizing the ban on girls’ education. While Taliban security officials claimed to his family that his detention was unrelated to his journalism or writing, Zawab reports that the Taliban pressured him to write a book of poetry praising them and their suicide bombers, which he refused, leading to his imprisonment.
After his release, he was summoned twice more by Taliban intelligence — once for publishing two new issues of Mina magazine, and again for reciting a poem at the historic Gul-e-Naranj cultural event, in which he subtly criticized the restrictions on girls’ education. In both instances, he was forced to sign guarantees promising not to criticize the regime again.
Any other relevant documents
https://da.azadiradio.com/a/32955516.html
https://da.azadiradio.com/a/32955516.html
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjmlrW61ZqNAxUZTaQEHWD9AAUQFnoECBUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etilaatroz.com%2F200730%2F&usg=AOvVaw15oqFtPPKKI2E717rVXNU4&opi=89978449
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Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1979
- HRD's Gender
- Man
- Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
Ezatullah Zawab is an Afghan poet and journalist who formerly served as editor-in-chief of Mina, a leading Pashto-language magazine. Though trained as an engineer, his passion for poetry led him to publish works criticizing the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education.
He was previously summoned and threatened by Taliban intelligence, and in January 2024, he was arrested while traveling from Kabul to Jalalabad. He spent 117 days in custody and was later released.
His magazine, Mina, which had resumed publication in late 2023, was halted again following his arrest. He has faced ongoing threats for his advocacy and literary expression.
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Asia: Southern Asia
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Kabul
- Location of detention - Facility
- Pol e Charkhi prison
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 34.51988221044194
Longitude: 69.34802560944671
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Jan 24, 2024
- Current Status
- Released
- Date of release
- May 20, 2024
- Charge(s)
- Anti-government propaganda
- Recent case update / evolution
Ezatullah Zawab was threatened by the Taliban for publishing a poem criticizing the ban on girls’ education. While Taliban security officials claimed to his family that his detention was unrelated to his journalism or writing, Zawab reports that the Taliban pressured him to write a book of poetry praising them and their suicide bombers, which he refused, leading to his imprisonment.
After his release, he was summoned twice more by Taliban intelligence — once for publishing two new issues of Mina magazine, and again for reciting a poem at the historic Gul-e-Naranj cultural event, in which he subtly criticized the restrictions on girls’ education. In both instances, he was forced to sign guarantees promising not to criticize the regime again.
- Protection actions and campaigns
- Urgent support needed
Evacuation and relocation to a safer place
Financial support
Medical assistance
- Any other relevant documents
https://da.azadiradio.com/a/32955516.html
https://da.azadiradio.com/a/32955516.html
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjmlrW61ZqNAxUZTaQEHWD9AAUQFnoECBUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etilaatroz.com%2F200730%2F&usg=AOvVaw15oqFtPPKKI2E717rVXNU4&opi=89978449
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjmlrW61ZqNAxUZTaQEHWD9AAUQFnoECBgQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpaigah-news.com%2F%25D8%25B7%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A8%25D8%25A7%25D9%2586%25D8%258C-%25D8%25B9%25D8%25B2%25D8%25AA-%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2584%25D9%2587-%25D8%25B2%25D9%2588%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A8%25D8%258C-%25D8%25B4%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B9%25D8%25B1%25D8%258C-%25D9%2586%25D9%2588%25DB%258C%25D8%25B3%25D9%2586%25D8%25AF%25D9%2587-%25D9%2588%2F&usg=AOvVaw3o5lG8BDVbFnxNBTQZL4o3&opi=89978449
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjmlrW61ZqNAxUZTaQEHWD9AAUQFnoECCcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Famu.tv%2Ffa%2F98961%2F&usg=AOvVaw1-wlDvlVzWPcPE3JpAkddW&opi=89978449
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- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
Supporting files
sorted by
Date added
4 relationships, 3 entities