KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Badakhshan say that the Taliban have arrested Masoud Taimur, an Uzbek cultural activist, in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan.
According to sources, Mr. Taimur was detained by Taliban intelligence forces in Faizabad three days ago (Friday, June 19), and there has been no information about his whereabouts or condition since then.
Sources report that the Taliban arrested the cultural activist because of his advocacy for the identity of Afghanistan’s Turkic ethnic groups and his support for protesters in Herat Province on social media.
Local Taliban authorities in Badakhshan have not yet commented on the arrest of the Uzbek cultural activist.
Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, freedom of expression and media freedom in Afghanistan have deteriorated dramatically. Journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens increasingly face intimidation, censorship, arbitrary arrest, and detention for criticizing Taliban policies or expressing dissenting views.
According to a joint report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office, between August 2021 and September 2024, at least 336 cases of human rights violations against journalists and media workers were documented, including 256 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention, 130 cases of torture and ill-treatment, and 75 cases of threats and intimidation.
The Taliban have also imposed extensive restrictions on the media, forcing many outlets to close and compelling journalists to practice self-censorship. Human rights organizations report that critics of the Taliban—including journalists, women’s rights activists, ethnic minority advocates, and civil society members—have frequently been detained for their social media activities, public statements, or peaceful activism. These measures have created a climate of fear in which many Afghans refrain from expressing their opinions openly due to concerns about retaliation, arrest, or harassment by Taliban authorities.
Afghanistan ranked 175th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, placing it among the worst globally.
