PenPath Foundation said on X that Matiullah Wesa, founder of the PenPath and advocate for girls' education, was released from Islamic Emirate custody on Thursday.

Wesa, who advocated education for boys and girls, was arrested on March 27, 2023, while he was returning from evening prayers at a mosque.

The UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, on X welcomed the release of Matiullah Wesa and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all Afghan human rights defenders who are “arbitrarily detained for standing up for their own rights and the human rights of others.”

Following the Taliban’s ban on female education in Afghanistan, Wesa launched campaigns across the country to draw support for female education.
In April 2022, in an interview with TOLOnews, Wesa said:“When the Taliban closed the schools for girls, I started visiting the provinces. I traveled to 20 provinces in Afghanistan. I met with many religious scholars and tribal elders, and I told them that education is our human and Islamic right, and it is a wish of the people and has nothing to do with the international community.”

There was no information about the whereabouts of Wesa during his detention.

Previously, American actress, filmmaker and humanitarian Angelina Jolie in an open letter to Matiullah Wesa, said: "Like you too, I hope for a day in which every Afghan child is able to go to school, college or university and contribute freely to a peaceful Afghanistan" and "please know that you are not forgotten."

Angelina Jolie said in the letter: “I know that you have dedicated over a decade of your life to helping Afghan children, particularly in rural areas, to have access to books and the means and the opportunity to go to school. I am aware that you continue the legacy of your late father who carried out similar work on behalf of Afghan children.”