KABUL – Journalist Sayyed Rashid Kashifi has been released from Taliban custody after six months and 18 days in detention, the Afghanistan Media Support Organization said on Saturday.
The group called his release a positive step, urging the authorities to free all other detained media workers immediately and without delay.
Kashifi, a Kabul-based freelance reporter, was arrested by Taliban intelligence in April 2025. He was later sentenced to one year in prison on charges of collaborating with exiled media outlets.
According to the organization, at least six journalists remain imprisoned in Kabul, Ghazni, and Parwan. Among them is Hamid Farhadi, who was arrested in September 2024 and sentenced to two years for alleged links with Etilaat Roz.
Kashifi’s release comes amid an ongoing crackdown on the press.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, media freedom has sharply deteriorated. Hundreds of journalists have been detained or assaulted. Many outlets have been forced to shut down or operate under self-censorship.
Human Rights Watch says the Taliban have “gutted Afghanistan’s media,” imposing censorship, surveillance, and punishment for critical reporting.
Freedom House warns that independent journalism in Afghanistan is now nearly extinguished. Women journalists face particular restrictions, and public debate has largely vanished.
Rights groups have repeatedly called on the Taliban to stop harassing the press and ensure reporters can work safely.
