Afghanistan Releases Activists Who Exposed Alleged Pedophile Ring
Afghanistans main intelligence agency says it has released two activists who helped expose an alleged pedophile ring operating in the country's schools, a scandal that has sparked national outrage.
The National Directorate of Security (NDS) has come under fire for arresting last week the two human rights defenders -- Musa Mahmudi and Ehsanullah Hamidi -- who gave interviews about the purported pedophile ring.
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In a series of tweets, Ghani said he was "deeply disturbed about the recent reports on sexual abuse" in schools in Logar Province, south of Kabul, and that he instructed the Education Ministry to provide him with a thorough report on the matter "ASAP."
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The NDS on November 26 described the Guardian report as "baseless" and said Mahmudi's claims in the article were part of a scheme aimed at securing asylum in a foreign country.
link
https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-releases-activists-who-exposed-alleged-pedophile-ring/30294906.html
There are reports of a return of the ancient practice of "bacha bazi" -- literally, dancing boys -- in which wealthy or powerful men exploit underage boys as sexual partners.
https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-dancing-boys-sexual-exploitation-officials-complicit/28653116.html