Months in Taliban Prisons; Fate of Three Journalists Unclear

Months after the arrest of Shakib Ahmad Nazari, Hamid Farhadi and Bashir Hatef, three journalists and media activists, concerns have increased over their situation in Taliban prisons.

Media sources and colleagues of these journalists told Zan News that they are being held in unknown conditions and have not been allowed regular visits with their friends.

Ali Noor, a journalist in Kabul, told Zan News, “The Taliban have tortured these journalists and do not even allow their friends to visit them.”

According to him, restrictions on access to these detained journalists have increased concerns about their health and legal situation.

Meanwhile, Najibullah Shaheer, a journalist, considers the arrest of media activists as a sign of increasing pressure on the media in the country.

He told Zan News, “By arresting journalists, the Taliban show that they have a problem with the media community and do not want their actions to be reflected through the media.”

A source among media activists, who requested anonymity, told Zan News, “There is no transparency in the process of handling the cases of these journalists, and their situation remains concerning.”

According to available information, the Taliban have sentenced Shakib Nazari to three years in prison on charges of cooperating with a Japanese media outlet. Hamid Farhadi has also been sentenced to two years in prison on charges of cooperating with the newspaper Etilaat Roz.

Details of the legal process for these journalists have not been independently verified.

In addition, reports by organisations supporting the media show that restrictions on media activity in Afghanistan have increased.

According to one report, in the past year, more than 200 cases of violations of media freedom and violence against journalists were recorded. These include threats, arrests and work related restrictions.

Furthermore, the implementation of some Taliban directives, including restrictions on publishing images, has changed the operations of media outlets in several provinces. These restrictions have forced some visual media outlets to suspend or alter their activities.

With this trend continuing, media activists have expressed concern about the future of freedom of expression in Afghanistan.

They are calling on international organisations to take the situation of journalists in Afghanistan more seriously.