The cabinet of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia has decided to deny diplomatic access to eight detained foreigners accused of preaching Christianity, a report said today.
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German diplomat Helmut Landes (R-front), Australian consul Alistair Adams (L) and leave the Afghan Foreign Ministry in Kabul.
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The ministers met yesterday as three Western diplomats spent a second day in the Afghan capital trying to gain consular access to the two American, two Australian and four German aid workers.
"It has been finalised that no one should be allowed to meet with these detainees," a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the Afghan Islamic Press. "We have told them in clear words that they will not be allowed to meet with the detainees.
"It is our principal stand that no one will be allowed to meet them while the investigations are still in progress".
US, Australian and German envoys flew from Pakistan to Kabul on Tuesday to press for consular visits, but the Taliban have allowed them to meet only low-ranking foreign ministry officials.
The foreigners and 16 Afghans, staff of a German-based aid group, were rounded up between August 3rd and 5th for allegedly preaching Christianity, and they have not been seen since.
The foreigners are being held in two detention centres in Kabul under tight guard by the fundamentalist Islamic militia's religious police.
Taliban officials have not explained what charges will be laid against them or what punishment they might face. The religious police have refused to rule out the death penalty.
AFP