KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the Taliban for forcing detained journalist Mahdi Ansari to publicly confess, describing it as “a new phase of ruthless repression” of journalists in Afghanistan.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, RSF said the Taliban’s intelligence agency had “staged” Ansari’s confession as part of a broader strategy to intimidate the media and silence independent voices.
“These public humiliations mark a new phase in the relentless repression of journalists in Afghanistan,” said Célia Mercier, Head of the RSF South Asia Desk
“RSF condemns this appalling intimidation tactic and calls for the immediate release of Mahdi Ansary and the seven other journalists currently detained arbitrarily in the country,” she added.
Ansari, 27, a reporter with the Afghan News Agency, was arrested by Taliban intelligence agents in October 2024 near his office in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood. He was accused of producing “anti-Taliban propaganda” and reporting for media outlets operating in exile.
In January 2025, a Taliban court sentenced him to one and a half years in prison following a closed trial conducted without legal counsel or family present.
Last month, the Voice of Hindu Kush, a media outlet affiliated with the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), released a video of Ansari’s confession on Facebook. In the video, he admitted to working with foreign-based media and “propagating against the Taliban.” Media watchdogs believe the video was recorded under duress and intended to portray the journalist as criminal to justify his imprisonment.
RSF said Ansari’s case is not isolated. Other journalists, including Abuzar Sarem Sarepuli, director of Tawana News Agency, correspondent Shakib Nazari, and freelance journalist Hamid Farhadi, have also been forced to confess to alleged crimes.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed strict controls on Afghanistan’s media landscape, arresting journalists and shutting down outlets. Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries and territories on the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index, reflecting one of the world’s most repressive environments for journalists.
Media watchdogs and rights groups warn that the few remaining reporters in Afghanistan face mounting threats, intimidation, and censorship, further narrowing the space for independent journalism.
