The Taliban have arrested a popular Afghani fashion model and three of his colleagues, accusing them of disrespecting Islam and the Quran, according to videos released by Afghanistan's new rulers.
Ajmal Haqiqi is popular in Afghanistan for his fashion shows, YouTube clips and modelling events. He appeared handcuffed in videos posted on Twitter by the Taliban intelligence agency on Tuesday.
As reported by AP, in one widely circulated and contentious video, Haqiqi is seen laughing as his colleague Ghulam Sakhi — who is known to have a speech impediment that he uses for humour — recites verses of the Quran in Arabic, in a comical voice.”
After carrying out arrests, the Taliban released a video of Haqiqi and his colleagues, standing in jail uniforms and apologizing to the Taliban government and religious scholars. The video was accompanied by a tweet in the Dari language, saying: “No one is allowed to insult Quranic verses or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Later Wednesday, Amnesty International released a statement, urging the Taliban to “immediately and unconditionally” release Haqiqi and his colleagues, as reported by AP.
AP also reported that in Kabul, Taliban officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it was not clear what measures the model and his colleagues face under the Taliban-run judiciary. The families of the arrested models could also not immediately be reached for comment.
Since they came into power again last August during the final weeks of the U.S. troop pullout from the country, the Taliban have imposed strict measures according to their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, particularly curbing the rights of women and minorities.
The Taliban consider criticism, and anything perceived as disrespectful of Islam as a punishable crime. AP reported that Amnesty said since their takeover, the Taliban “have been using intimidation, harassment, and violence on anyone who has expressed support for human rights or modern values, especially human rights defenders, women activists, journalists, and members of academia among others."
