(One TV): Claim that a paedophile ring sexually abused many boys in Afghanistan’s central Logar province was made up for foreign asylum, the country’s intelligence agency National Directorate of Security said on Tuesday. NDS in a statement said that Musa Mahmudi and his colleagues who made the claim “were shifted to safe place” due to security threats and to inquire about the claims. The statement said that after the inquiry from Mahmudi, it became clear that his findings lacked evidence and made unprofessionally for seeking asylum for his family in a foreign country. The statement said that several people including schoolchildren were facing “serious security threat” after the claims were made. The statement said that such claims disturb public mind over educational environment and could deprive children of education. Earlier, Amnesty Intenrational had called for the release of Musa Mahmudi and his colleague and called on authorities to hold the suspected perpetrators accountable through trials. “Afghanistan’s intelligence agency must immediately release these human rights defenders immediately. While in custody of the National Directorate for Security, they are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Rather than punishing them for speaking out against these horrific crimes, the authorities should praise them for their work and hold the suspected perpetrators accountable through fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty,” said Samira Hamidi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International.