Afghanistan: Taliban release journalists after five days in detention

The editor-in-chief of the Nedai Baloch news agency, Mohammad Asif Faizyar, was released on August 18 after five days in detention in the western city of Herat. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), together with its member organization, the Afghan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), condemns the arrest and calls on the Taliban to allow journalists to report without fear of reprisal.

On August 18, the head of the Nedai Baloch news agency, Mohammad Asif Faizyar, was released from Taliban custody. He was arrested on August 13 in Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city. In a Telegram post, the media outlet claimed it was forced to close due to Faizyar's detention.

Faizyar was accused of violating Taliban media guidelines and allegedly publishing crime reports without first obtaining permission from the Herat Police Headquarters.

In the three years since the fall of Kabul and the Taliban's seizure of power in 2021, security threats and economic collapse have devastated Afghan media. The Taliban have issued a series of policies curtailing women's rights in the media, limiting coverage of demonstrations and civil protests, and establishing guidelines for news production and content that require Taliban approval before publishing any reports or articles.

The closure of the Nedai Balock news agency is part of a broader Taliban crackdown on press freedom. In July, the Afghan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority revoked the broadcasting licenses of 14 media companies, and in June the Kunduz broadcaster Tamadon TV was raided.

The AIJU stated: “AIJU urges all media professionals not to sacrifice accuracy for speed and calls on the authorities in the Islamic Emirate to pursue all issues related to media work through their legal channel, the Media Complaints and Violations Commission, as then the issue will be addressed in a better and more professional manner, the complaint will be resolved and the media community will not have to worry.”

The IFJ stated:“Faizyar’s arbitrary detention is representative of the numerous attacks on press freedom since the Taliban seized power in 2021. The IFJ condemns the opaque arrest of Mohammad Asif Faizyar and calls on the Taliban to ensure that all allegations of misconduct against journalists or media workers are properly investigated.”