Taliban Detains Afghan Journalist Shikib Ahmad Nazari for Reporting to Japanese Media

August 26, 2025 – Afghanistan –

Afghan journalist Shikib Ahmad Nazari, who reports for Nippon TV News and other international outlets, has been detained by Taliban authorities since July 24 following a raid on his Kabul office by approximately 15 intelligence and morality police agents. He was initially held at a morality police detention centre for a week before being transferred to a Taliban intelligence prison, according to reports by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

This arrest drew immediate and sharp criticism from press freedom advocates. CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Director, Beh Lih Yi, demanded Nazari’s immediate release and warned against coercive tactics that compel journalists into making forced confessions, describing the detention as indicative of the Taliban’s “brutal crackdown on the media.”

Further urging release and fair treatment for Nazari, CPJ reiterated that this detention is consistent with a broader, ongoing pattern of suppression targeting Afghan reporters who work with international media. The group called on Taliban authorities to uphold fundamental rights and stop persecuting journalists operating under dangerous conditions.

These developments underscore the widening crackdown on press freedom in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban retook control in 2021, journalists have faced increasing harassment, arbitrary arrests, and imprisonment. International organisations, including CPJ and other watchdogs, continue to call for the restoration of media freedoms and protections for journalists in the country.

References –

https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/08/press-freedom-group-urges-taliban-to-release-detained-afghan-journalist/

https://cpj.org/2025/08/taliban-detains-afghan-journalist-who-reports-for-japanese-media/