KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities have detained a journalist in Badakhshan province and a social activist in Khost province, according to a media watchdog and local sources, amid growing pressure on press freedom and civil activism in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Thursday, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said Taliban intelligence forces detained Nazim Qasemi, a local reporter for TOLOnews TV, at his home in Faizabad city, the capital of Badakhshan, on Wednesday night.
The watchdog said Taliban authorities have not provided any explanation for Qasemi’s detention. However, local sources told AFJC that the arrest may be linked to a recent Facebook post in which he criticized the Taliban’s treatment of residents in Badakhshan.
The AFJC condemned the detention, calling on Taliban authorities to immediately release Qasemi and other journalists currently held in custody. The watchdog said journalists should be allowed to carry out their work without intimidation or restrictions.
Meanwhile, local sources in Khost province reported that Taliban intelligence forces detained social activist Ehsan Saadat in Khost city four days ago.
A source told KabulNow that Saadat is a supporter of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, a movement advocating for the rights of Pashtuns living in Pakistan.
The motive behind Saadat’s detention remains unclear, and Taliban authorities have not commented on his case. Sources said Saadat had previously been detained twice by Taliban intelligence forces.
The latest arrests are part of a broader pattern of reported actions by Taliban authorities targeting journalists, activists, former government officials, former security personnel, and media workers. Individuals detained in such cases have often been accused of cooperating with exiled media outlets or foreign organizations, supporting women’s rights, or criticizing Taliban policies.
Rights groups say the Taliban is using arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances to silence critics of its repressive policies.
