Taliban continue media crackdown:- Free-press advocates are calling on de facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to release a local reporter jailed on unspecified charges.

Habib Rahman Taseer, a former Pashto-language reporter for Azadi Radio — a Prague-based affiliate of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, VOA’s parent organization — was detained by the Taliban intelligence agency in Ghazni province this month.

According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center, or AFJC, he was subsequently transferred to a provincial prison on Wednesday.

“We demand his immediate and unconditional release,” AFJC said in a statement.

The Taliban have banned VOA and Azadi Radio broadcasts in Afghanistan, accusing the U.S.-funded organizations of airing anti-Taliban content.

Both media entities firmly deny the accusation, instead saying that the Islamist regime stifles free press.

Officials at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, which houses a commission that regulates media, did not respond to requests for comment regarding Taseer's detention.

“In the Taliban’s directive for journalists, working for the banned outlets is considered a criminal act,” Ahmad Queraishi, AFJC director, told VOA.

The Taliban continue to persecute reporters and contributors associated with Afghan media outlets operating from outside the country.

Two journalists inside Afghanistan told VOA that Taliban authorities routinely track individuals providing content to these banned organizations.

“I know of several individuals who were detained and only released after vouching they would not work for the banned channels,” said one of the journalists, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

Several Azadi Radio journalists were killed in bombings in Afghanistan during the U.S. military engagement in the country that ended in 2021.

No female face, voice

On Tuesday, Afghanistan's state broadcaster announced the suspension of two private television channels, Noor TV and Barya TV, citing alleged violations of media regulations.

The cases have been referred to Taliban courts.

The information ministry and its media regulation commission have provided only vague explanations for the suspensions of the stations, whose owners reportedly reside outside Afghanistan.

Queraishi cited Noor TV's alleged violation of the Taliban's restrictions on the portrayal of women on television as a reason for its suspension.

The Taliban have mandated that female news presenters and guests cover their faces except for the eyes on television.

Additionally, local Taliban officials in some areas have banned radio stations from airing women's voices. These restrictions have faced widespread international condemnation as misogynistic and oppressive.

Taliban officials, however, defend the policy as being in accordance with Islamic and traditional values.

Journalists persecuted

Since the Taliban's return to power, Afghanistan's once-thriving free press has suffered a near-total collapse. Dozens of outlets have been silenced, forcing thousands of media professionals and civil society activists to flee the country.

While some Afghan journalists have launched media-in-exile startups abroad, those remaining in Afghanistan and neighboring countries have faced constant threats and escalating safety concerns.

Ahmad Hanayesh, a prominent Afghan journalist who previously worked for Azadi Radio, was critically injured in a shooting in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 3.

The motive and the identity of those responsible for the attack on Hanayesh remain unknown.

At least 150 Afghan journalists are currently stranded in Pakistan, awaiting resettlement to a third country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Press freedom groups consider Pakistan to be quite dangerous for journalists, especially those who report critically on the government and military. Since 1992, CPJ has documented the deaths of 64 journalists who were killed in the country over their work. In many cases, no one has been held accountable. VOA/SP