[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”122px” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” border_style_all=”none” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_bottom=”5px” border_style_bottom=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”12px||8px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/samsn.ifj.org\/SAPFR24-25\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AFP__20240822__36EL7FB__v1__HighRes__BangladeshPoliticsArrest.jpg” title_text=”BANGLADESH-POLITICS-ARREST” _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Actor||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Within weeks of Hasina\u2019s fall, five journalists, including a female were arrested on charges of murder and crimes against humanity, while at least 140 others faced similar kind of charges, in apparent political reprisals. Journalists Shakil Ahmed (5L) and Farzana Rupa (3R) are pictured at a court in Dhaka on August 22, 2024. A Bangladesh court remanded the two journalists in custody accused of “inciting violence” against the student-led protests. Credit: AFP<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”967px” custom_margin=”38px|auto|12px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”10px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”937px” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
The IFJ documented 69<\/strong> cases of journalists jailed or detained in South Asia from May 2024 to April 2025. Although this was decrease from the 86 cases reported in the previous period, it still shows the significant and ongoing threats to press freedom that persist in this challenged region with arrests, temporary detentions and charges against media workers being used to intimidate and silence critical journalism. Four detentions involved female journalists; one in Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, and two in India.<\/p>\n The Taliban’s ongoing authoritarian control over Afghanistan<\/strong>\u2019s media led to the detention of an astounding 30 journalists in the year, with ten (10) media workers still incarcerated at the time of publication. Afghanistan had the highest number of detainments for the region across a number of categories including journalists still in jail; detained for more than one week; detained less than one week; and the highest number of longest serving inmates. The country\u2019s de-facto government continued its relentless crackdown on the media, utilising charges of blasphemy or anti-Taliban propaganda. Detentions were frequently carried out by the General Directorate of Intelligence and by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, established in the country in the wake of the Taliban takeover in 2021. Sayed Rahim Saeedi, the editor and producer of the ANAR Media YouTube channel, was sentenced to three years in prison on January 31, 2025, for writing a screenplay about a girl denied an education by Taliban for a network outside Afghanistan.<\/p>\n The massive anti-government protests that erupted across Bangladesh<\/strong> in July and August and ended the iron rule of Sheik Hasina, also led to the deaths of five journalists and the injuring of 250 others. Following the installation of an interim government, media workers whose reporting was considered as favourable toward the ousted regime were quickly targeted. The IFJ documented eight (8) media worker detentions within this period. Journalists Shakil Ahmed, the former head of news at Bangladeshi broadcaster Ekattor TV, and his wife, Farzana Rupa, the broadcaster\u2019s former chief correspondent, were the first journalists to face charges. The pair were detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while attempting to board a flight to Istanbul with their daughter, before being taken into custody. They were charged with conspiracy to commit murder as part of a broader trial that also implicates former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.<\/p>\n In India<\/strong>, seven (7) journalists were arrested or detained for shorter durations – a notable decrease from 22 detentions recorded in the previous period. Senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder was covering a protest on embezzlement and illegal recruitment at the Assam Co-Operative Apex Bank in Guwahati in March 2025, when he was taken in for detention. Also in March, Sumit Jha, a journalist for South First,<\/em> was detained by Hyderabad Police while reporting on a student protest at the University of Hyderabad against the clearing of forest land marked for auction by the Telangana government.<\/p>\n Ongoing challenges to press freedom in Nepal<\/strong> were noted in the period with the country now rated as \u2018obstructed\u2019 by the CIVICUS Monitor. Two (2) journalists were arrested in the period for their critical reporting. In a key case, Kantipur Publications chairman, Kailash Sirohiya, was arrested and detained for nine days after publishing a series of reports about embezzlement allegations against Nepal\u2019s then-Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Rabi Lamichhane. Bijay Shah, the editor-in-chief of Dastak Khabar<\/em>, a local online news portal in Siraha District, in Madhesh Province, was arrested by police on October 18, 2024, for allegedly reporting on vulgarity at a cultural program. Shah said he was subjected to psychological pressure during his two-day detention and his phone was seized.<\/p>\n Pakistan<\/strong> faced significant setbacks in the safety situation for media workers in the period, marred by a wave of arrests and detentions of journalists, totalling 20 in the period \u2013 running second to Afghanistan \u2013 including the enforced abduction and repeated arrest of veteran journalist Matiullah Jan. Many arrests related to reporting deemed as anti-stage or critical of the government or journalists found themselves targeted while covering anti-government protests. In June 2024, Imran Riaz, a vlogger and vocal critic of the government, was arrested by police in Lahore for alleged involvement in a monetary fraud case. In November 2024, veteran journalist Matiullah Jan was abducted along with another journalist after reporting on protests by supporters of Pakistan\u2019s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, in Islamabad. On November 28, an anti-terrorism court ordered the anchor for NEO TV Network to remain in detention for two days after his arrest on what was widely reported as \u201cbogus\u201d terrorism and drug possession charges. The same month, eight journalists in Hafizabad were arrested for allegedly assisting the escape of political workers holding a press conference. Farhan Mallick, founder of Raftar<\/em>, was arrested in March 2025 without formal charges for allegedly broadcasting content critical of the security establishment. Mallick was released after two and a half weeks in detention. Most recently, Waheed Murad was seized from his home in Islamabad by masked agents and charged with cyber terrorism over alleged \u201cintimidating\u201d posts.<\/p>\n Sri Lanka<\/strong> witnessed further intimidation and targeting journalists and activists. In October 2024, two (2) journalists were detained – Tamil journalist Selvakumar Nilanthan, who<\/strong> was arrested from his home for reporting on a 2020 corruption case involving a government official, and Kalpa Gunaratne, who was arrested and released the same day, for documenting an act of aggression against a civilian by a security guard in Colombo.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”TOTAL JAILED OR DETAINED BY COUNTRY IN SOUTH ASIA:” admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-4px||55px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Afghanistan: 30 [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”HIGHEST NUMBER OF DETAINMENT TYPES BY COUNTRY IN SOUTH ASIA:” admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-4px||55px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]Currently in jail: Afghanistan – 10 cases<\/strong> [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”643px” custom_margin=”31px|auto|12px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”6px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/samsn.ifj.org\/SAPFR24-25\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/240306-Asif-Sultan-1.jpg” title_text=”240306 Asif Sultan” _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”73.7%” min_height=”544px” custom_margin=”|281px||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|284px||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Human rights defender and Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan was finally freed on May 10, 2024, after serving nearly 6 years behind bars. Credit: X<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”720px” custom_margin=”21px|auto|12px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”10px||27px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#eaeaea” min_height=”688px” custom_padding=”3px||0px|20px|false|false” border_width_all=”2px” border_style_all=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The release of four Indian journalists was strongly welcomed in the period, with all those incarcerated charged under India\u2019s counter-terror and public safety laws, notably the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), or Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s Public Safety Act (PSA), in which bail is notoriously difficult to obtain.<\/p>\n Kashmiri freelance journalist Majid Hyderi, who was arrested on September 14, 2023, for criticising government policies and charged under the PSA, spent 527 days in detention before his release. The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir finally\u00a0ordered his immediate release\u00a0on February 19, 2025, ruling that, according to case law, negatively criticising government policies could not justify preventive detention, and that his arrest was predicated on \u2018vague and ambiguous\u2019 grounds that violated the journalist’s constitutional rights.<\/p>\n The founder and editor of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, was released on May 15, 2024, after being jailed for 225 days under the UAPA. He was jailed for allegedly accepting Chinese funds and criticising the Indian government\u2019s policies, including its Covid-19 response. The Indian Supreme Court asserted that his arrest by Delhi Police was \u201cinvalid in the eyes of the law\u201d. However concerningly, this ruling was not considered a verdict on the merit of his case, rather the interpretation of the UAPA concerning bail.<\/p>\n Kashmiri journalist Sajad Gul was granted bail on July 8, 2024, after spending 910 days in jail. Gul was detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act in January 2022, after he reported on the shooting of a young man by security forces and the family\u2019s allegation that it was an extrajudicial killing. Despite courts granting bail twice, his incarceration lasted a gruelling 2.5 years, under isolation for 23 hours a day in a narrow dark cell.<\/p>\n And in much welcomed news on the long running case, human rights defender and Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan was finally freed in the period. After serving nearly six years behind bars and being the focus of IFJ and other international human rights campaigns, Sultan was released on February 27, 2024. But with a pattern of \u2018revolving door arrests,\u2019 he was controversially arrested again two days later for allegedly instigating a riot in Srinagar\u2019s Central jail. The UAPA was again used in the case against Sultan. He was finally granted bail by a court in Srinagar on May 10, 2024, after serving a further two and a half months. A Srinagar court asserted that merely invoking the UAPA was insufficient to warrant rejection of bail applications. Sultan was granted bail under strict conditions, including prohibition from using encrypted messaging apps or proxy networks.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”322px” custom_margin=”29px|auto|-1px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|0px||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_toggle title=”JAILED JOURNALISTS \u2013 CURRENTLY IN JAIL” closed_toggle_background_color=”#f2f2f2″ _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_text_color=”#000000″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Name: <\/strong>Habib-ur-Rahman Taseer Name: <\/strong>Sayed Rahim Saeedi Status: <\/strong>Currently in jail. Sentenced to three years in prison on October 27, 2024. Name: <\/strong>Mahdi Ansary Name: <\/strong>Saber Rahimi Name: <\/strong>Islam Totakhil Name:<\/strong> Said Rashid Kashifi Name:<\/strong> Ghulam Muhaiudin Sahibzada Name:<\/strong> Jahadmal Habibi Name: <\/strong>Sayed Rashed Kashefi Name: <\/strong>Longa Khumi Name: <\/strong>Shakil Ahmed, Farzana Rupa Name: <\/strong>Mozammel Haque Babu, Shyamal Dutta Name:<\/strong> Irfan Mehraj Name:<\/strong> \u00a0Rupesh Kumar Singh Name:<\/strong> Naren Chakraborty Name:<\/strong> Khursheed Rajput Name:<\/strong> Freshta Sadeed Name:<\/strong> Zahir Bahand Name: <\/strong>Ramin Amiri Name: <\/strong>Ali Sina Khodayar Name: <\/strong>Abdullah Danish Name: <\/strong>Mohammadyar Majroh Name: <\/strong>Hekmat Aryan Name:<\/strong> Abdul Razzaq Siddiqi Name: <\/strong>Amanullah Azimi, Amir Hossein Attryan, Khalid Barkazi, Zahir Faizi, Samir Ahmad Baik, Haroon Irfan, Bektash Rofi Name:<\/strong> Ithad Azizi Name: <\/strong>Mohammad Asif Faizyar Name: <\/strong>Pranab Barua Arnab
<\/strong>Bangladesh: 8
<\/strong>Bhutan: 0<\/strong>
India: 7<\/strong>
Nepal: 2<\/strong>
<\/strong>Maldives: 0
<\/strong>Pakistan: 20
<\/strong>Sri Lanka: 2<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nDetained for more than one week: Afghanistan \u2013 15 cases<\/strong>
\nDetained for less than one week: Afghanistan \u2013 5 cases<\/strong>
\nDetained for one day or less: Pakistan \u2013 5 cases<\/strong>
\nHighest number of longest serving inmates: Afghanistan \u2013 15 cases<\/strong>[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”182px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-4px||55px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nSayed Rahim Saeedi, the editor and producer of the ANAR Media YouTube channel, was sentenced to three years in prison on January 31, 2025, for writing a screenplay about a girl denied an education by Taliban for a network outside Afghanistan.<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
India: Four long-term prisoners released<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
AFGHANISTAN<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: April 6, 2024
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Journalist, Radio Free Europe
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Taseer was arrested for blasphemy by the Taliban based on an audio message on WhatsApp. The Taliban’s director of information and culture in Ghazni accused Taseer of “insulting sacred values and norms” after a verbal altercation with a Mullah (Imam). It was suggested that Taseer’s detention was retribution by the Taliban following the publication of a report by Radio Free Europe.
\nStatus: <\/strong>Currently in jail. Sentenced to two and a half years in prison.<\/p>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: July 14, 2024
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Editor and producer, ANAR Media YouTube channel
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Culture journalist Saeedi was arrested alongside his son and fellow journalist Sayed Waris Saeedi and cameraperson Hasib. Saeedi was arrested for a screenplay he wrote about a girl denied an education by Taliban authorities for a network outside Afghanistan on charges of spreading anti-Taliban propaganda.<\/p>\n
\nName:<\/strong> Hamid Ullah Farhadi
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> September 3, 2024
\nJob:<\/strong> Reporter, Etilaatroz Daily<\/em>
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Arrested on the accusation of spreading propaganda against the Taliban.
\nStatus:<\/strong> Currently in jail. Farhadi was sentenced by the court to two years in prison, starting from the date of his arrest.<\/p>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: October 5, 2024
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Reporter, Afghan News Agency
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Ansari was arrested by officers of the Taliban\u2019s General Directorate of Intelligence in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul for allegedly posting anti-Taliban videos on his personal YouTube channel which were deemed as \u2018collaborating with the anti-Taliban media\u2019 and \u2018spreading propaganda against the regime\u2019.
\nStatus: <\/strong>Currently in jail. Ansary was sentenced to 18 months\u2019 jail on January 8, 2025.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> January 8, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong> Originally a cameraman for Shamshad TV and unofficially working for Voice of America (VOA) in India.
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Rahimi was arrested on charges of providing false information and engaging in illegal activities, but the court deemed the 58 days he had already spent in detention was sufficient and ordered his release.
\nStatus:<\/strong> Currently in jail. Sentenced to six months in prison.<\/p>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: February 4, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Sports journalist, Jawanan Radio
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Arrested by Taliban\u2019s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice\u00a0and members of the General Directorate of Intelligence when it raided radio station Jawanan, operated by the Begum Organization for Women (BOW). The broadcaster was closed for alleged licensing violations and collaboration with an international outlet, with sports journalist Islam Totakhil taken into custody. A further person was also arrested in the raid, however details on the individual are unknown.
\nStatus: <\/strong>Currently in custody awaiting trial.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> February 13, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong> Reporter at Tawana News Agency
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Accused of working with Tawana News Agency and providing false information to opposition media outlets abroad against the Taliban.
\nStatus:<\/strong> Unknown.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> February 18, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong> Broadcast manager Rasa TV
\nAccusation:<\/strong> According to officials, the reason for his arrest was collaboration with and providing false information to media outlets opposed to the Taliban.
\nStatus:<\/strong> In custody awaiting trial.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> February 18, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong> Reporter in Rasa TV
\nAccusation:<\/strong> According to officials, the reason for his arrest was collaboration with and providing false information to media outlets opposed to the Islamic Emirate.
\nStatus:<\/strong> In custody awaiting trial.<\/p>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: April 14, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Independent journalist
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Arrested under the pretext of retrieving his mobile phone, video recording camera, and voice recorder, which had been confiscated in mid-March by agents who suspected him of working with Afghan exiled media
\nStatus: <\/strong>Currently in detention.<\/p>\nBANGLADESH<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: May 19, 2023
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Correspondent, Daily Manab Zamin<\/em>
\nAccusation:\u00a0<\/strong>Khumi was detained by members of the Bangladesh Army for alleged links to separatist group the Kuki-Chin National Front and for carrying \u2018confidential documents\u2019.
\nStatus<\/strong>: Currently in detention.<\/p>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Mixed
\nDetained<\/strong>: August 21, 2024
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Former head of news (Ahmed), Former chief correspondent (Rupa), Ekattor TV
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Shakil Ahmed and his wife, Farzana Rupa, were detained for questioning at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka while attempting to board a flight to Paris. They were among 39 people targeted in the alleged murder of a garment worker on August 5, 2024, though the charges are believed to be linked through their alleged incitement of the ousted Hasina government.
\nStatus<\/strong>: Currently in detention.<\/p>\n
\nGender<\/strong>: Male
\nDetained<\/strong>: September 16, 2024
\nJob: <\/strong>Chief executive, Ekattor TV (Babu); editor, The Daily Bhorer Kagoj (Dutta)
\nAccusation: <\/strong>Mozammel Haque Babu, Shyamal Dutta, Mahbubur Rahman and their driver were apprehended by locals near the India-Bangladesh border, before their vehicle was stopped and police called. Rahman and the driver were released the following day; however, husband and wife journalists Babu and Dutta were detained in connection to two murder cases.
\nStatus<\/strong>: Both remain in custody.<\/p>\nINDIA<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> March 20, 2023
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Freelance journalist
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Kashmiri journalist Mehraj was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in sponsoring \u2018terrorist operations\u2019 and other \u2018anti-national\u2019 activities under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
\nStatus:<\/strong> Mehraj remains in custody.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> July 17, 2022
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Freelance journalist
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Singh was arrested by Jharkhand police for alleged links to the Maoists, a banned left-wing armed group. Two days prior, the journalist had released a report detailing the dumping of industrial waste on traditional tribal land in Giridih district. Relatives and supporters of the journalists have identified the lack of a definitive charge sheet against the journalist.
\nStatus:<\/strong> Singh remains in custody.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> April 28, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong>\u00a0Journalist, Agartala-based daily newspaper
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Chakraborty was arrested under charges related to obscenity and privacy violations in Teliamura, Tripura, for circulating a controversial sex video featuring local BJP leader Dilip Sarkar
\nStatus:<\/strong> Chakraborty remains in custody.<\/p>\nPAKISTAN<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> August 9, 2024
\nJob:<\/strong> Journalist
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Charged with alleged robbery and possession of illegal weapons. The journalist was allegedly attacked and tortured by local police for reporting on the alleged corruption of the Senior Superintendent of Police.
\nStatus:<\/strong> Rajput remains in custody<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Female
\nDetained:<\/strong> April 14, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong> Exiled journalist, previously employed at Radio Bahar, Kapisa province.
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Pakistani police detained Afghan journalist Freshta Sadeed at her residence in Islamabad and transferred her to a detention facility.\u00a0She is at serious risk of deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a country she fled due to her reporting on human rights issues.
\nStatus: <\/strong>Sadeed remains in custody in Haji Camp detention facility.<\/p>\n
\nGender:<\/strong> Male
\nDetained:<\/strong> April 20, 2025
\nJob:<\/strong> Journalist
\nAccusation:<\/strong> Pakistani police detained Afghan journalist Zahir Bahand in Islamabad. Pakistani security officers detained him without providing any explanation or legal warrant, near his residence in the \u201cGulberg Greens\u201d area. Bahand emphasised that he had done nothing but reporting on the struggles of Afghan refugees.
\nStatus:<\/strong> Bahand remains in custody.[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”JOURNALISTS JAILED FOR MORE THAN ONE WEEK” closed_toggle_background_color=”#f2f2f2″ _builder_version=”4.25.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_text_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nAFGHANISTAN<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: March 21, 2024
Job: <\/strong>Freelance journalist
Accusation: <\/strong>Amiri was reportedly arrested due to financial issues. Intelligence personnel said that he was not arrested in connection with his media work.
Status: <\/strong>Released on bail on May 8.<\/p>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: June 1, 2024
Job:<\/strong>\u00a0Broadcast Director, Radio Zahra
Accusation: <\/strong>Khodayar was arrested for failing to meet with Taliban members, and the publication of \u2018anti-government materials\u2019.
Status: <\/strong>Released on June 9 on the intervention of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU).<\/p>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: June 13, 2024
Job:<\/strong>\u00a0Freelance journalist
Accusation: <\/strong>Danish was taken into Taliban custody in Parwan Province while travelling from Kabul. According to news reports, the journalist was questioned for news reports and a social media post.
Status: <\/strong>Released on June 15, but sustained injuries to his head from his time in detention.<\/p>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: July 12, 2024
Job: <\/strong>Freelance journalist
Accusation: <\/strong>Summoned and detained by a court in Kancahar, but no reason publicly provided for his arrest. A Taliban spokesperson stated that his case had no relation to his media work, but it was the second time in two years that the freelance journalist was arrested without any specified reason.
Status: <\/strong>Released on August 5, 2024.<\/p>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: September 29, 2024
Job:<\/strong>\u00a0Director, Khushal Radio Station
Accusation: <\/strong>Aryan was arrested for allegedly broadcasting content related to Taliban military operations. He was sentenced to one month in prison on October 14, with a court in Ghazni recognising time already served prior to the trial.
Status: <\/strong>Released on October 29, 2024.<\/p>\n
Gender:<\/strong> Male
Detained:<\/strong> November 1, 2024
Job:<\/strong> The head of Sada-e-Badghis Radio
Accusation:<\/strong> Siddiqi was arrested on charges of providing false information to media outlets opposed to the Taliban, but following efforts by other organizations and AIJU, the court considered his time already served as sufficient and he was released.
Status:<\/strong> Released on December 4, 2024.<\/p>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: December 4, 2024
Job:<\/strong>\u00a0Office director, Arezo TV
Accusation:<\/strong> Members of the Taliban\u2019s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice\u00a0and the General Directorate of Intelligence raided the offices of Arezo TV, confiscating equipment and taking seven staff members into custody. Taliban representatives claim the broadcaster published vulgar and immoral content and had collaborated with exiled international news outlets.
Status: <\/strong>All detained Arezo TV staff were released on bail on December 21, on the requirement they made guarantees they would not leave Kabul and would attend all court sessions. They also returned to their jobs at Arezo TV.<\/p>\n
Gender:<\/strong> Male
Detained:<\/strong> January 8, 2025
Job:<\/strong> Voice of America Reporter
Accusation: <\/strong>Arrested on charges of providing false information and engaging in illegal activities, but the court deemed the 58 days he had already spent in detention as sufficient and ordered his release.
Status:<\/strong> Released on March 6, 2025.<\/p>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: February 27, 2025
Job:<\/strong>\u00a0Editor-in-Chief, Nedai Baloch News Agency
Accusation:<\/strong> Detained by police in Herat on unknown charges. It was the second time he was been arrested by the Herat Police Command for publishing news on his Telegram channel.
Status: <\/strong>Released on February 28. The news agency resumed operations on March 11, 2025.<\/p>\nBANGLADESH<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Gender<\/strong>: Male
Detained<\/strong>: October 24, 2024
Job:<\/strong>\u00a0Correspondent, Daily Manab Zamin