Zalala Hashemi Abducted in Kabul

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Local sources have reported the abduction of Zalala Hashemi, an Afghan singer, in Kabul.

Local sources in Kabul say that Zalala Hashemi, a young Afghan female artist, mysteriously disappeared around 16 days ago in Kabul, and there is still no news about her whereabouts.

Seyed Mohsen Hashemi, Zalala’s husband, said in a video released to the media on Thursday (June 19) that Zalala left the house to meet her friends and since then, he has no information about her and her phones are switched off.

According to him, despite many efforts to find Zalala, no clues have been found about whether she is alive or dead.

It is worth noting that Zalala Hashemi rose to fame in 2017 after participating in the music program “Afghan Star,” which was broadcast by the private TV channel TOLO. With her performances in both Persian and Pashto, she was one of the few female singers who reached the top stages of the competition.

Following her disappearance, a number of women’s rights activists have expressed concern on social media. Aryana Sayeed, a well-known Afghan singer, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday (June 20) that Zalala has been abducted and called for urgent and comprehensive action by human rights and international organizations to find and free her.

At the same time, a video of Zalala’s four-year-old son has been circulated on social media, in which he tearfully pleads for his mother’s return. Zalala’s family says the child’s health condition is also worrying.

Despite more than two weeks having passed, Taliban security institutions have not made any official statement about the disappearance of this singer.

This comes as the Taliban, after returning to power in 2021, declared music and artistic activities forbidden and called on artists to turn to other professions.