Detention of Professor Faizulla Jalal

That this House notes with concern reports that Professor Faizullah Jalal of Kabul University, Afghanistan, has been arrested by the Taliban following an appearance on a news channel in which he criticised the regime’s response to the humanitarian situation in the country; notes that many human rights organisations have expressed concern at that arrest, and that Amnesty International has described it as the latest effort by the Taliban to stifle dissent and further evidence of Taliban intimidation, harassment and violent attacks on individuals who criticise them, and that the organisation has found human rights defenders, women activists, journalists and members of academia have the greatest number of reprisals; and calls on the UK Government to condemn the behaviour of the Taliban, join efforts to press for the release of Professor Jalal, and to rapidly scale up its effort to provide asylum and resettlement support to Afghan nationals who wish to escape the Taliban regime and make their home in the UK.