Taliban intelligence forces have detained an Uzbek poet in northeast Afghanistan for writing poetry critical of their rule, according to a relative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Muzhda Uzbek, who is also a schoolteacher, was charged with \u201cwriting protest poetry and having links with Rahila Dostum\u201d, the source told Rukhshana Media on condition of anonymity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dostum, a former Afghan senator, is the daughter of exiled Uzbek leader and former Afghan vice president Abdurrashid Dostum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rahila Dostum served in the upper house of Afghanistan\u2019s parliament before the Taliban regained power in 2021. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The poet, a mother-of-five, was detained with her husband about two weeks ago in Khwaja Ghar in the northwest of Takhar province, which borders Tajikistan, the relative said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her husband was released about three days ago after guarantees were provided, but Uzbek remains in prison, the source added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women’s rights activists posting on social media have condemned the poet\u2019s detention and called for her release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since seizing power five years ago, the Taliban have repeatedly arrested and imprisoned critics of their rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada banned the writing of protest poetry and love poetry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taliban intelligence forces have detained an Uzbek poet in northeast Afghanistan for writing poetry critical of their rule, according to\u00a0a\u00a0relative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[900,9581],"tags":[11582,11579],"class_list":["post-37810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-our-work-en","tag-female-poet","tag-uzbek-poet"],"yoast_head":"\n