📰 CPJ Urges Taliban to Release Detained Afghan Journalist

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Taliban authorities to immediately release Afghan journalist Shikib Ahmad Nazari, who has been held since July following a raid on his office in Kabul.

Nazari, a reporter for Japan’s Nippon TV News, was detained by Taliban intelligence agents on July 24 without a warrant or formal charges, according to his family. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

CPJ Asia-Pacific Director Beh Lih Yi condemned the detention, stating it reflects the Taliban’s continued coercion and mistreatment of the press. The organization emphasized that Nazari’s case is part of a broader crackdown on journalists working with international media.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, press freedom groups have documented widespread censorship, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation of journalists. Independent media outlets have been shuttered, and reporters barred from covering public events.

International bodies, including Human Rights Watch, have warned that such restrictions violate Afghanistan’s obligations under international human rights law. The Taliban has not issued any public statement regarding Nazari’s detention.

【Sources: CPJ, Jurist】