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January 17, 2025 – Afghanistan –
The Taliban’s primary court in Kabul sentenced Mahdi Ansary, a 27-year-old reporter for the Afghan News Agency (AFKA), to 18 months in prison. He was convicted of spreading “anti-Taliban propaganda” and collaborating with “banned media outlets” via videos posted on his personal YouTube channel.
Ansary was arrested on October 5, 2024, while returning to his office in Dasht-e-Barchi. His family was initially left in the dark, only learning of his detention when informed by Taliban intelligence over a month later.
During the hearing held in early January, the court cited public criticism of Taliban policies and morality laws—including a 2023 speech by Shia cleric Waez Zadah Behsoudi featured on Ansary’s YouTube channel—as evidence of “propaganda”. He was also previously detained in October 2023 for a Facebook post marking the first anniversary of a massacre targeting a Hazara education centre.
Ansary’s sentence retroactively began from his arrest date, meaning he is expected to remain imprisoned until April 2026. His trial took place in absentia—without his family or legal counsel present—and he endured isolation and mistreatment in custody. His family was granted just one short five-minute visit after a month.
International press advocacy groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), strongly condemned the verdict. CPJ Asia coordinator Beh Lih Yi called the sentence an example of continued “brutality and suppression of press freedom in Afghanistan” and demanded Ansary’s immediate and unconditional release, as well as any other detained journalists. The IFJ and Afghan Independent Journalists Union echoed these calls, urging the Taliban to drop all charges against media workers and cease arbitrary imprisonments.
Ansary’s sentencing comes amid a broader crackdown: Taliban authorities have issued over 21 directives severely restricting media since 2021, closed more than half the country’s media outlets, and detained dozens, recording 131 threats and 50 detentions in 2024 alone.
Reference –
Taliban sentences Afghan journalist Mahdi Ansary to 18 months in prison
