A Canadian aid worker has been detained by the Taliban, and her brother is worried 

A Canadian activist and aid worker was arrested at gunpoint in Afghanistan nearly a month ago and has been held without charge ever since, her brother says.

Nadima Noor, a social media activist and founder of the non-governmental organization Dream Voice Act, was arrested alongside six of her colleagues at their Kabul office on Feb. 13, says Dastaan Noor, who lives in Ottawa. 

"About a dozen men with guns showed up at her office and they forcefully detained them and put them in the car and took them to the Ministry of Interior," he told As It Happens guest host Gillian Findlay. 

It's not clear what — if any — charges Nadima is facing, and her brother says the Taliban government won't give him any information about why she was arrested or when she will be released. 

Crackdown on women and activists

Since the Taliban took over the Afghanistan government last fall, there has been a crackdown on foreigners, women and activists in the country. In January, AFP reported that the Taliban conducted a series of raids targeting women activists. 

"The Taliban have banned women and girls from secondary and higher education, and altered curricula to focus more on religious studies. They dictate what women must wear, how they should travel, workplace segregation by sex, and even what kind of cell phones women should have. They enforce these rules through intimidation and inspections," reads a Human Rights Watch report published in January.

Dastaan says his sister is known in Afghanistan for speaking out on women's rights, but that she's always played by the rules while working in the country — even securing Taliban approval before conducting media interviews. 

"I am not sure if she was breaking any rules there," he said. "Her NGO was legal. It was registered. She was in direct contact with the Ministry of Interior for her work and, as I said, they were well aware of her projects."

The Taliban has not commented on the record about Nadmia's arrest, and an email from As It Happens to Afghanistan's interior ministry bounced back.

However, an unnamed Afghanistan government official who has knowledge of the situation told the Washington Post: "These arrests are a lesson to all the foreigners in Afghanistan who are not obeying the rules."

Canada limited in what it can do 

Dastaan says his family has been in touch with the Canadian government, but there is little it can do. Canada does not recognize the legitimacy of the current Afghan government and considers the Taliban a terrorist organization.

"There is no channel of communication between Canada and Afghanistan, so it makes it a very complicated and unique situation," Dastaan said. " But they are trying their best to assist the family in getting Nadima out."

I'm hopeful to see that she has a lot of friends, a lot of support and her voice is getting out there.- Dastaan Noor, Canadian whose sister is detained in Afghanistan

Global Affairs Canada would not comment directly on Nadima's case, citing privacy concerns, but said the government is "aware of a Canadian currently detained in Afghanistan" and is providing assistance to the individual's family.

"Canada's ability to provide consular assistance in Afghanistan is extremely limited," Global Affairs spokesperson Sabrina Williams said in an emailed statement.

No more running 

The Noor siblings are originally from Afghanistan, but fled with their family during the Soviet–Afghan War. After several years moving between different countries and living in refugee camps, they settled in Canada in 1999.

Nadima later returned to her home country to do humanitarian work, her brother said. When the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, thousands of Afghans left the country. But Nadima, tired of fleeing, decided to stay put.

"It became kind of a question of, 'Who am I? [and] belonging, and I believe Nadima took that very close to her and she said, 'I'm staying here this time. I'm not running,'" Dastaan said. 

Dastaan says he hasn't been able to speak directly to his sister since her arrest, but has been in touch with her NGO colleagues, some of whom have since been released. He's also been able to deliver messages to her via friends in Kabul.

"Her spirit is up," he said. "She's been treated pretty fairly at the moment."

Still, he's worried. He says he tried to work behind the scenes to secure her release, reaching out directly to officials in the Interior ministry. At first, he says they reassured him she would be released soon. But then they changed their tune, and told him the government is "expanding" its investigation into his sister's activities.

That's why he's now going public with her story.

"It does worry me that it might become a political situation and it might prolong and her detention might be extended," he said.

"At the same time, I'm hopeful to see that she has a lot of friends, a lot of support and her voice is getting out there."

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview with Dastaan Noor produced by Kevin Robertson.