Taliban Actions Against Shia Religious Institutions in Kabul Raise Serious Human Rights Concerns
Reports of detentions, the forced evacuation of a major Shia seminary, and actions targeting religious and community representatives in Kabul are raising serious concerns about the safety and religious freedom of Afghanistan’s Shia community.
Afghanistan | September 2026
Shia Rights Watch is closely following a series of troubling developments involving Shia religious institutions, scholars, students, and community representatives in Kabul.
On September 5, Taliban forces reportedly surrounded the **Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary** and ordered administrators, teachers, and students to leave the premises. Afghan media reported the presence of Taliban personnel and military vehicles around the complex, while members of the local Shia community gathered nearby in protest.
The situation was followed by reports of arrests. Mohammad Jawad Mohseni, head of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin complex, said that 28 instructors and students had been detained. According to Amu TV, four were later released, leaving 24 reportedly in custody at the time of his statement.
Two days later, on September 7, Taliban forces reportedly returned to the seminary and removed the remaining students. KabulNow reported that students were told to collect their belongings and leave before Taliban authorities took control of the institution.
The concern did not end at the seminary.
Afghanistan International later reported that members of the Hazara and Shia Elders’ Public Relations Office were detained after scholars and community representatives met in Kabul to discuss the situation and efforts to secure the release of teachers and students.
Among those reportedly detained were Sayed Sufi Gardizi, Sayed Hassan Sharif Balkhabi, and Hussain Sangardost.
On September 8, Taliban forces also reportedly surrounded the Kabul office of Afghanistan’s High Shia Council. The reason for that action was not publicly explained.
Separate reports also raised concern over Sheikh Mohammad Hassan Mohseni, the eldest son and successor of the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Asif Mohseni. Afghan media reported that he was detained near his residence in Kabul and taken to an undisclosed location.
As of September 10, Shia Rights Watch had not identified credible public information confirming his release or establishing his whereabouts and condition.
Shia Rights Watch has not independently verified every detail reported in connection with these events. However, the number and nature of the incidents, occurring within a short period of time and involving several important Shia institutions and figures, warrant urgent clarification.
A Growing Concern for Afghanistan’s Shia Community
For Shia Rights Watch, these events cannot be considered only in isolation.
Mustafa Akhwand, Executive Director of Shia Rights Watch, has previously raised concerns through international and United Nations advocacy about the growing pressure facing Afghanistan’s Shia and Hazara communities and the danger posed by increasing anti-Shia hostility.
The latest developments reinforce those concerns.
The issue is not simply the fate of one seminary. Within days, teachers, students, religious scholars, and community representatives were reportedly detained, while several important Shia institutions came under direct pressure.
When religious schools, scholars, community councils, and those attempting to represent their communities are affected at the same time, the broader consequences deserve serious attention.
Afghanistan’s Shia community must be able to educate its students, maintain its religious institutions, organize peacefully, and communicate with authorities without fear of detention or retaliation.
Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary
Khatam al-Nabiyyin has long been an important center of Shia religious education in Afghanistan.
The institution was established in 2007 by **Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Asif Mohseni**, one of Afghanistan’s most prominent Shia scholars, and became an important part of religious and community life for Shia Muslims in Kabul.
Taliban authorities have reportedly argued that the property on which the complex was built belongs to the government and should therefore come under state control.
Representatives of the seminary dispute that claim.
According to KabulNow, seminary representatives say they possess legal documents supporting private ownership and that the case remained before a court without a final ruling when the evacuation order was carried out.
The competing ownership claims should be resolved through a lawful and impartial process.
Even if a legitimate property dispute exists, however, that does not answer the separate questions surrounding the detention of teachers and students, the removal of people from the institution, or the treatment of community representatives.
A property dispute should not become grounds for arbitrary detention, collective punishment, or discrimination.
Questions Surrounding the Detentions
The reported detention of instructors and students requires immediate clarification.
Taliban authorities should publicly state who has been detained, where they are being held, the legal grounds for their detention, and whether any charges have been filed.
Families should also be informed of the whereabouts and condition of their relatives, and detainees should have access to appropriate legal protections.
The same applies to the reported detention of Shia scholars and community representatives.
According to available reporting, some of those individuals had gathered to discuss the situation at Khatam al-Nabiyyin and efforts to obtain the release of people already detained.
If individuals were detained simply for participating in such a peaceful meeting or attempting to engage authorities on behalf of their community, that would raise serious concerns about freedom of assembly and association.
The reported detention of Sheikh Mohammad Hassan Mohseni is also of particular concern.
His status as a senior religious figure makes the absence of clear information about his whereabouts especially significant for the community.
Authorities should immediately clarify whether he remains in custody, where he is being held, the legal basis for his detention, and his current condition.
These basic safeguards should apply to every person detained in connection with these events, regardless of position or prominence.
Human Rights Concerns
The developments in Kabul raise several interconnected human-rights concerns.
Freedom of religion or belief includes the ability of religious communities to maintain their institutions, educate students, train religious scholars, and organize community life without discrimination or intimidation.
Protection from arbitrary detention requires that anyone deprived of liberty be informed of the legal basis for the detention and provided appropriate procedural safeguards.
Freedom of peaceful assembly and association protects the ability of community representatives to meet, organize, and raise concerns peacefully.
And where the state claims a legal or property dispute exists, the rule of law and due process require that such disputes be resolved through transparent and impartial procedures rather than coercive action.
These protections are particularly important in Afghanistan, where Shia Muslims, including members of the Hazara community, have faced years of sectarian violence, discrimination, and attacks on civilian and religious institutions.
This history does not prove the motive behind every current incident. It does, however, make careful monitoring and transparency especially important.
Shia Rights Watch calls on Taliban authorities to:
- Disclose the whereabouts and legal status of all individuals detained in connection with these events;
- Explain the legal grounds for each detention and any charges that have been filed;
- Ensure the safety and humane treatment of all detainees;
- Allow appropriate contact with families and access to legal safeguards;
- Release anyone detained solely for peaceful religious, educational, or community activity;
- Clarify the legal basis for taking control of Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary;
- Resolve any property dispute through an impartial legal process;
- Respect the ability of Shia religious and community institutions to operate without discrimination; and
- Ensure that community representatives can peacefully meet with one another and communicate with authorities without fear of retaliation.
Call to the International Community
Shia Rights Watch also urges the United Nations, governments, international human-rights mechanisms, and other relevant institutions to seek clarification regarding the reported detentions and the status of Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary.
International actors should continue monitoring developments affecting Afghanistan’s Shia religious institutions and engage directly with Shia representatives and independent civil-society sources to obtain reliable information from the ground.
The treatment and whereabouts of detained individuals should be raised directly with Taliban authorities.
International attention is especially important now, before actions against individual institutions or community representatives develop into a wider pattern that becomes more difficult to reverse.
The situation surrounding Khatam al-Nabiyyin Seminary is about more than a dispute over a building.
It concerns whether a religious minority can maintain its institutions, educate its students, support its religious leadership, organize peacefully, and raise concerns without intimidation.
Any genuine property dispute should be resolved through lawful procedures. At the same time, the rights of teachers, students, scholars, and community representatives must be protected.
Shia Rights Watch urges Taliban authorities to provide immediate transparency regarding those detained and to ensure that any legal action affecting Shia institutions is carried out without discrimination and in accordance with basic principles of due process.
The international community should follow these developments closely and seek answers while information can still be obtained and the safety of those involved can be protected.
Shia Rights Watch will continue documenting developments affecting Afghanistan’s Shia community and bringing credible concerns to the attention of international institutions and decision-makers.