Afghan Filmmaker Sayed Rahim Saeedi Sentenced to Three Years Amid Allegations of Torture and Media Repression

January 31, 2025 – Afghanistan – 

Sayed Rahim Saeedi, a 57-year-old Afghan filmmaker and director of ANAR Media, was sentenced to three years in prison by the Taliban on December 18, 2024, for allegedly “spreading propaganda” against the regime. His arrest and subsequent treatment have sparked international condemnation from human rights and press freedom organizations.

Saeedi was arrested without a warrant on July 14, 2024, near his Kabul office by agents of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI). He was held incommunicado for months in District 40, denied access to a lawyer and visits from his family. According to Amnesty International, Saeedi was subjected to torture, including solitary confinement and physical abuse, and has been denied vital medical treatment despite suffering from chronic health conditions such as a herniated spinal disc and prostate problems.

During his trial at Kabul’s First Court, Saeedi was brought in handcuffed and shackled, without legal representation. He was forced to confess under duress. The court warned him that appealing the sentence could result in an even harsher punishment. He is currently imprisoned at Pol-e-Charkhi prison, where his health continues to deteriorate due to the lack of medical care and cold detention conditions.

International organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International, and the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk, have condemned the sentence and called for Saeedi’s immediate and unconditional release. They argue that his arrest is part of a broader pattern of repression against journalists and artists in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.

Under Taliban rule, the media environment has severely declined, with numerous journalists arrested, threatened, or forced into exile. Independent reporting is increasingly suppressed, and accusations of “propaganda” are commonly used to silence dissent.

Saeedi’s case underscores the ongoing deterioration of freedom of expression in Afghanistan and highlights the urgent need for international pressure to safeguard journalists, artists, and human rights defenders targeted by the Taliban for their work.

Reference – 

Taliban Sentences Filmmaker to Three Years in Prison for Alleged Propaganda

https://amnesty.ca/urgent-actions/afghanistan-filmmaker-tortured-and-denied-care-in-taliban-prison/

Taliban sentences Afghan journalist Sayed Rahim Saeedi to 3 years in prison