On August 18, the head of the Nedai Baloch News Agency Mohammad Asif Faizyar was released from Taliban detention after his arrest on August 13 in Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city. In a Telegram post, the media outlet claimed it was forced to shut down due to Faizyar’s detention.
Faizyar was charged with failing to cooperate with the Taliban’s media directives, having allegedly published crime reports without obtaining prior approval from the Herat Police Headquarters.
In the three years since the fall of Kabul and the ascension of the Taliban to power in 2021, safety threats and economic collapse have devastated Afghanistan's media.The Taliban has released a series of directives diminishing the rights of women in media, restricting coverage of demonstrations and civil protests, and setting guidelines for news production and content which require approval from the Taliban before publishing reports or articles.
The closure of Nedai Balock News Agency is part of a broader crackdown on media freedom by the Taliban. In July, the Afghan Telecom Regulatory Authority suspended the broadcasting licenses of 14 media outlets, while Kunduz broadcaster Tamadon TV was raided in June.
The AIJU said: “AIJU asks all media workers not to sacrifice accuracy for speed and asks the authorities in the Islamic Emirate to follow up all issues related to media work through its legal channel, which is the Media Complaints and Violations Commission, because the issue will be addressed in a better and professional manner, both the complaint will be resolved, and the media community will not be worried.”
The IFJ said:“Faizyar’s arbitrary detention is representative of the numerous attacks against press freedom witnessed since the Taliban’s ascension to power in 2021. The IFJ condemns the opaque arrest of Mohammad Asif Faizyar and calls on the Taliban to ensure that any claims of misconduct against journalists or media workers are investigated through proper channels.”