By: Hafez
Translated by: Mohammad Sakhi Rezaie
Hamza Ulfat, a young man about 30, was killed by an armed Taliban intelligence member after he was released from the Taliban prison.
At least, two sources close to Hamza Ulfat told the Silk Way weekly that he was killed in Khadir district of Daikundi province on Thursday, 16 Jan, 2025. On his way home, he was chased by three Taliban intelligence men and then he was shot. Two nights later, around 9:00 pm, 18 Jan, 2025 he died from bleeding of a Taliban intelligence bullet.
These sources said, “When Hamza left Bamyan to Daykondi, he informed his family about his decision. When he arrived in Daykondi, he gave a call his family; but when he was in the hotel, two Taliban intelligence members were in the same hotel at 9:pm and asked the passengers, Who Hamza Ulfat was. Then Hamza Ulfat introduced himself. After that Taliban took an image of Ulfat’s tazkira (national ID) and told him to stay at the hotel.”
According to the sources, “soon after the two-intelligence members left the inn, Hamza left the hotel towards his home, the village of Mijan, Khadir.” He was on his way home, when in a desert, three people from the armed intelligence of the Taliban stopped him and asked him for a mobile phone with special specifications. Hamza had a walking stick in his hand and resisted against them. It was during the clash that Hamzah ran away and one of the three armed men shot him. Out of several bullets, one hit his leg and he fell down and stayed there. But the three-armed Taliban left the area.”
Hamza phoned his family at about 11:pm and said Taliban intelligence have injured him. Then Hamza’s brother and some other men, moved to where Hamza was injured.
They found Hamza about 3:am while had missed a lot of blood. Then, they took Hamza home and his condition was better only for the first night. But the next day, he died from bleeding.
Ulfat had studied law and was a civil society activist. He was detained on Saturday, February 11, 2022 by Taliban in the west of Kabul. No one knew about him for one month. After one month, he called his father from an unknown number and said he was in the Taliban prison and asked to get him a dress and some money.
After three months of detention, the Taliban court sentenced him to 18 months in prison, and he spent all those 18 months in Taliban prison.
Contrary to other detainees, that people advocate for them on social media, few people knew Ulfat was in prison. A few people advocated for him. Sources told the Silk Way Weekly that Ulfat’s family members opposed advocating for him. They explained advocating for him will complicate the situation and it will increase Taliban pressures on him.
He had spent 18 months in prison, including 3 months before the trial, for a total of 22 months in Taliban prison.
After he was released, only his family members and some close friends knew he was released.
There is not much details available how much he was tortured. Some of his friends told the Silk Way weekly that he was tortured a lot. But some other friends of him said he was harshly tortured during the three months he was in detention, and after that he has not been much tortured.
Sources said that in order to remain no traces of torture on the prisoner’s body at the time of release, the Taliban torture the prisoners in the first days and months. According to them, Hamza was tortured so much in the first months that two of his teeth were broken. They also had beaten Hamza during the time he was in detention. But he was not tortured later in order when he is released no trace of torture to be left on his body.
Media outlets have received many reports of prisoners’ torture in Taliban prisons. Taliban use different types of tortures and the intensity of torture is also very high. Before prisoners are released, Taliban take video confiscations of prisoners and threaten them if they tell the media or the people about the Taliban tortures, they will imprison the families of the prisoners and torture them.
Sources said Hamza Ulfat did not talk much about his tortures by Taliban. He jus said “they tortured us.”
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