Abducted Afghan psychiatrist found dead, says report

Psychiatrist was abducted on his way home from work by a group of armed men

Abducted Afghan psychiatrist Dr Nader Alemi found dead (Magda Rakita/BAAG)

A prominent psychiatrist in Afghanistan who was abducted by armed men in September, has been found dead, according to reports.

Dr Nader Alemi’s daughter Manizheh Abreen confirmed the news to The Guardian.

“Yesterday we have paid $350,000 [£260,400] to the abductors and they promised to release my father today. But this morning we have received his dead body instead,” Ms Abreen said.

Dr Alemi was the 66-year-old director of Alemi’s Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Afghanistan’s first private psychiatric hospital.

According to the outlet, he was abducted on his way home from work by a group of armed men in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

At the time, Dr Alemi’s son, Dr Fardeen Alemi, said: “Our main concern is that my father is suffering from diabetes and he needs to take regular insulin. We are extremely devastated about this situation. My father has only done sincere service towards the community and he is a brilliant psychiatrist and helped people in need.”

“He has always held this idea that I have to serve the people and that’s why he never left his country,” he said.

Associate Asia director for Human Rights Watch Patricia Gossman had, at that time, called on Afghan authorities to investigate the whereabouts of Alemi.

“If he has been abducted then those responsible should be held accountable. The Taliban claim to be able to bring security, so they should properly investigate what happened and bring those responsible to justice, while also protecting the rights of those accused of any wrongdoing,” she said.

Dr Alemi’s hospital has treated thousands of Afghans, including Taliban fighters, since it opened in 2004. His family revealed that he received several threatening calls months before his abduction.