Amnesty International said on Monday that the Taliban's crackdown on civil society activists and journalists is a harsh reality in Afghanistan.

The organisation highlighted the recent release of two educational activists, Ahmad Fahim Azimi and Sediqullah Afghan, from Taliban detention, describing it as just one example of the Taliban’s “widespread crackdown” on civil society activists, journalists, and human rights defenders in Afghanistan.

Azimi, a girls' education activist, and Afghan, a rights activist, were released from Taliban custody after months of detention. Azimi and Afghan were transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi prison after being interrogated for 72 days, where, according to their families, they were subjected to torture and ill-treatment.

Amnesty International launched a campaign for the activists' release in February, calling on the Taliban to stop arbitrarily detaining civil society and human rights activists.

In its statement on the plight of Afghan activists, Amnesty International said, "Afghan civil society has been shattered by the Taliban's repression. Journalists, activists and protesters are regularly targeted, and many have been forced to go into hiding or flee abroad."

Amnesty added that activists living in Iran, Pakistan or Turkiye face financial difficulties and risk of deportation to Afghanistan.

"Together, we can protect those who risk everything to defend girls' freedom and the right to education," Amnesty International said, noting the importance of international pressure on the Taliban to support Afghan civil society activists.