KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Freelance journalist Sayed Rashid Kashifi was arrested by Taliban intelligence on April 14 over alleged collaboration with media outlets operating in exile, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said in a recent statement.
A source told AFJC that Taliban agents had already confiscated Kashifi’s work equipment, including his audio recorder, camera, and mobile phone, in mid-March.
In the weeks that followed, intelligence officials summoned him several times to their media department, ostensibly to collect his belongings. However, Kashifi feared the summons was a trap for arrest.
The AFJC expressed grave concern over his detention and called on the Taliban to release him and all other detained journalists unconditionally.
Taliban authorities have not commented on Kashifi’s arrest, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
According to AFJC, at least 10 journalists and media workers, including Kashifi, are currently in Taliban custody. Six of them have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven months to three years.
Among them is Hamid Farhadi, who was arrested in September last year for allegedly working with Etilaatroz, a newspaper now operating from exile. He is currently serving a two-year sentence in Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
Nearly four years into Taliban rule, press freedom in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate. Journalists are routinely targeted over suspected links to exiled media or foreign outlets.
A recent AFJC report documented a 24% increase in media rights violations over the past year, with 181 cases recorded—including 131 threats and 50 arrests.
