KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Journalists Center has called for the immediate release of Mohammad Rahmati, Director General of Tamadon Television, and Mohammad Reza Ehsani, an employee of the broadcaster, from Taliban custody.
In a statement issued yesterday (Saturday, June 27), the center condemned the detention of the two journalists.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center also called for the reopening of Tamadon Television’s office and urged the Taliban to allow the outlet’s staff to continue their work freely, without threats or fear of arrest.
Tamadon Television announced today that its Director General and one of its employees were arrested six days ago on the orders of the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice and are being held in solitary confinement.
However, citing a source within the broadcaster, the Afghanistan Journalists Center said the two men were arrested after news of the Taliban forces’ raid on the television station was published.
The latest development follows the Taliban’s raid on Tamadon Television earlier this week.
On Tuesday, forces affiliated with the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice stormed the broadcaster’s headquarters in Kabul, halted its transmissions, sealed its offices, and shut down the Khatam al-Nabieen Seminary over allegations that their buildings had been constructed on state-owned land. Officials from both institutions said the case is still under review by a special Taliban court and that no final ruling has been issued.
Tamadon TV, founded in 2006 in Kabul by the late Shiite cleric Sheikh Asif Mohseni, broadcasts news, religious programs, and cultural content. The station has previously faced restrictions and temporary shutdowns under Taliban rule over programming and ownership disputes.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center’s appeal comes amid growing concerns over the shrinking space for independent media in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, journalists and media organizations have faced increasing restrictions, detentions, raids, and closures, with press freedom groups warning that such measures have severely undermined independent reporting and freedom of expression in the country.
