KABUL – Taliban authorities have detained Arif Siddiqi, the public awareness officer at the Department of Environment in central Daikundi province, sources told KabulNow.
Siddiqi was reportedly taken into custody by Taliban intelligence officers on September 16 in Nili, the provincial capital, and has since been held without charge or access to his family.
A source familiar with the matter said that the Taliban informed Siddiqi’s relatives he was under interrogation but provided no explanation for his arrest.
“Twenty days have passed, and there is no information about his whereabouts or condition,” the source said, adding that the Taliban have barred any visits.
Before the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Siddiqi worked for the provincial Department of Environment under the former republic and continued in his role after the takeover.
He was also known for his previous work as a civil society activist and journalist, having led a local organization called Anjuman-e Nowin and worked with Aftab Radio in Daikundi.
The Taliban have not commented publicly on his detention.
Rights groups and media watchdogs have repeatedly condemned the Taliban for their escalating campaign of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances targeting journalists, activists, former government employees, and humanitarian workers.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented dozens of such cases in recent months, noting that many detainees are held without due process and often subjected to intimidation or ill-treatment.
Since 2021, press freedom and civic space have shrunk dramatically in Afghanistan. Independent media outlets have been shuttered, journalists face routine harassment and detention, and civil society organizations have been dismantled or forced underground.
The recent detention adds to growing concerns over the Taliban’s use of intelligence services to suppress dissent and silence remaining voices of civic engagement in the country.
