According to a report by the Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC), Habib-ur-Rahman Taseer, a local journalist associated with Radio Azadi/Radio Free Europe in southeastern Ghazni province in has been detained by the Taliban intelligence since April 6 and has now been transferred to the regime’s prison.

Taseer was reportedly detained for preparing local reports for Radio Azadi. His smartphone was seized by the authorities and its contents were checked without his consent.

Another source in Ghazni provincne told AFJC that Taseer had faced pressure before his arrest, including being removed from a joint WhatsApp group of journalists and local officials.

Radio Azadi/Radio Free Europe and the Taliban have not issued any comments regarding this incident so far.

Radio Azadi is based in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, and produces and broadcasts programs for Afghanistan.

In December 2022, the FM frequency of Radio Azadi and Voice of America, both US government-supported outlets, were suspended by the Taliban.

Two months later, the regime shut down the websites of these two media outlets, saying that they had repeatedly “failed to adhere” to the regime’s press laws and “violated journalistic principles.”

The AFJC expressed serious concern about Taseer’s continued detention and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.

AFJC data shows that at least 59 journalists and media workers were arrested in the last solar year alone. The majority of these cases involved violations of Taliban media directives, which contradict the country’s media laws.

Photo: AFJC