KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban released journalist Shakib Ahmad Nazari from Bagram prison on Tuesday after 13 months in custody on charges of cooperating with foreign media and “propagating against the group,” a friend of the journalist confirmed.
Nazari was released from the prison and reunited with his family, the friend said.
Taliban officials from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice arrested Nazari in Kabul on July 24, 2025. The journalist worked for Japan’s NTV network in Afghanistan.
A Taliban military court later sentenced Nazari to three years in prison on charges of cooperating with a foreign media outlet and spreading propaganda against the Taliban system.
He was initially detained in a prison run by the ministry, then moved to an intelligence detention facility before being transferred to Bagram.
The circumstances of his release remain unclear. It is also unclear whether his three-year sentence was formally reduced or otherwise changed. Taliban authorities have not commented on the case.
Nazari’s case is part of a broader crackdown on journalists and independent media since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Authorities have introduced restrictions on media operations, detained reporters and closed outlets.
Dozens of journalists have been arrested and held on accusations including propaganda and collaboration with exiled media. Hundreds of media outlets have shut down under restrictive policies and pressure.
Afghanistan ranked 175th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, remaining one of the most difficult environments for journalists.
In its latest annual report, the Afghan Journalists Center documented 207 cases of media rights violations over the previous year. These included two journalist killings, one injury, 183 threats and 21 arrests. The organisation said the figure represented a 20% increase from the previous year.
Media watchdogs and human rights groups continue to warn that independent reporting in Afghanistan faces mounting obstacles, with journalists operating under increasing pressure and limited protections.
