The UCI has suspended the president of the Afghanistan Cycling Federation (ACF) for sending "abusive and/or threatening" messages.
Fazli Ahmad Fazli has been banned from all cycling-related activities for 15 months, following a ruling from the governing body’s Ethics Commission on Tuesday.
The suspension comes after reports that Fazli had intimidated riders and journalists, prioritised himself and his family in an evacuation mission for vulnerable cyclists, and threatened to suspend riders' licenses.
The UCI opened its investigations into the ACF president almost three years ago, and initially ruled there was "no evidence" that justified pursuing a breach of ethics. On Tuesday, the governing body revealed it had continued its investigations.
A UCI statement read: "In this respect, it was found that the President of the Afghanistan Cycling Federation had, on several occasions, sent messages to members of the Afghan cycling community which were deemed to be in breach of Articles 5, 6.4 and 2.1 of Annex 1 of the UCI Code of Ethics due to their abusive and/or threatening nature, and the fact that he therefore abused his position."
The articles cited in the statement refer to abuse of position, failure to protect people's physical and mental integrity, and psychological abuse.
Following the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan in 2021, the ACF and UCI worked together to organise the evacuation of 165 people.
Fazli was awarded a UCI Merit for his involvement in the evacuation, credited for his "courageous commitment to the development of cycling, notably women’s cycling in a country where fighting for this cause is a risk".
In November 2021, two months after Fazli received the award, CyclingTips reported allegations that, in compiling the list of people to be evacuated, senior figures within the ACF had prioritised their own family and friends over vulnerable cyclists.
There were then further allegations that Afghan cyclists had been subject to verbal and physical abuse, according to a report in Escape Collective.
ACF president Fazli has now been judged to have sent messages of an "abusive and/or threatening nature", and suspended for 15 months by the UCI.
The UCI has said it will make no further comment on the decision of its Ethics Commission at this stage. Cycling Weekly has contacted the ACF for comment and will update this article if it responds.
