Radio Nasim Broadcasts Suspended Following Re-arrest of Editor-in-Chief and Two Journalists by Taliban

Photo: AFJC

Radio Nasim’s broadcasts in the provinces of Daikundi and Bamyan have been suspended following the arrest of the station’s editor-in-chief and two journalists by the Taliban’s intelligence agency.

On Wednesday (August 6), Sultan Ali Jawadi, editor-in-chief of Radio Nasim, along with two of the station’s journalists, Saifullah Rezai and Mojtaba Qasemi, were detained by the Taliban’s intelligence directorate in Daikundi.

Reza Wahidi, owner of Radio Nasim, told the media that the reason for the arrest was the publication of news related to the recent report by António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, regarding the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan. According to him, the head of Taliban intelligence in Daikundi questioned why this report was broadcast by Radio Nasim.

According to Wahidi, the three individuals were held until around 11 PM last night and were released after providing a guarantee. However, they are expected to appear again at the Taliban intelligence office today (Thursday), and their final fate is still unknown.

It has been reported that during the arrest, the Taliban also confiscated Radio Nasim’s broadcasting computer.

Sultan Ali Jawadi, the station’s editor-in-chief, had previously been arrested in October 2023 and sentenced to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the Taliban regime.” He was released from prison in March that year after serving approximately seven months.

Radio Nasim had also been shut down by the Taliban in mid-2023 and was only allowed to resume operations five months later, in March of the same year.

This comes as the International Federation of Journalists recently reported that at least seven journalists and media workers were detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan during the month of July alone. The organization, expressing concern over the growing number of press freedom violations, has called on the Taliban to immediately release all imprisoned journalists and end arbitrary detentions.