Taliban release Austrian far-right activist held in Afghanistan

Herbert Fritz, an 84-year-old Austrian and far-right nationalist, was released by the Taliban on Sunday (Feb 25). He was arrested in Afghanistan last May.

As quoted by the news agency Reuters,Fritz said, "I won’t say how life was like, you know, however, I am happy to be here and I also thank Qatar."

In a statement, the Austrian government said that Fritz arrived in Doha earlier in the day. The deal to secure his release was secured after mediation by the Qatari government.

Qatar's foreign ministry expressed gratitude to Afghanistan's Taliban administration for its cooperation in releasing the Austrian, without naming him.

Last year, Austria's Der Standard newspaper reported that Fritz had travelled to Afghanistan and commented positively on life there.

According to the report, this contributed to anti-immigrant arguments that Afghanistan was a secure place for refugees to return.

However, he was arrested by the Taliban on suspicion of spying, Der Standard said. Austria's Hewitt magazine reported last year claimed that Fritz was even at risk of execution.

Later, the Austrian foreign ministry said it had been working to secure Fritz's release since May.

The ministry also thanked Qatar and the European Union representation in Kabul for assisting in its efforts to bring about his return to Austria.

Austrian government spokesperson, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, said, "We would like to express our gratitude to the state of Qatar, to his highness the Emir, his excellency the prime minister and state minister (Mohammed bin Abdulaziz) Al-Khulaifi for their strong support that made the return of Mr Fritz possible, the return to his daughters and his grandchildren."

Who is Herbert Fritz?

Der Standard and other media reported that Fritz was a founding member of the country's National Democratic Party (NDP), an extreme-right group banned in 1988.

Austria's far-right Freedom Party, which has been leading opinion polls ahead of parliamentary elections due later this year, had pressed for Fritz's release. The party has said he was researching a book in Afghanistan.

(With inputs from agencies)