SOCIETY — April 12, 2026
Afghan Journalists Demand Release of Three Detained Colleagues from Taliban Prison
A group of Afghan journalists issued a joint statement in Kabul demanding the immediate release of Shakib Nazari, Hamid Farhadi, and Bashir Hatef from Taliban prison, where they have been held for over nine months without fair judicial process. They condemned the detentions as human rights violations and called for international pressure on the Taliban.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Hasht-e Subh — 2 min read

KABUL (Afghan Verified) -- A group of Afghan journalists issued a joint statement in Kabul on Sunday, 23 Hamal, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of three detained colleagues from Taliban prison.
The statement calls for the release of Shakib Nazari, Hamid Farhadi, and Bashir Hatef, who have been held for more than nine months without access to a transparent and fair judicial process.
The journalists condemned the detentions as violations of human rights and freedom of expression. They urged international human rights organizations to exert pressure on the Taliban to secure the detainees' release and to uphold international human rights commitments.
The group stated that their campaign would continue until Nazari, Farhadi, and Hatef are fully freed.
The joint statement highlights ongoing concerns among Afghan media professionals regarding the detention of journalists under Taliban rule, emphasizing the lack of due process in these cases.
Read the original reporting at Hasht-e Subh →
Reliability assessment
Single source (Hasht-e Subh) provides direct reporting on a joint statement with concrete, checkable details: named detainees (Shakib Nazari, Hamid Farhadi, Bashir Hatef), specific date (Sunday, 23 Hamal), location (Kabul), and duration of detention (>9 months). The verifiable fact of the statement's issuance and content qualifies as reliable attribution.
The source language reads straight.
Independent web corroboration
A separate web search returned 8 matching reports. A selection:
The campaign seeks the release of <strong>Shakib Nazari, Hamid Farhadi and Bashir Hatef</strong>, who have been arrested and imprisoned in separate cases. Taliban courts have sentenced Nazari to three years in prison on charges of “cooperating with a Japanese ...
Across the newsrooms
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Hasht-e Subh
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Reported straight
Reported straight
Filed under
Society — Shakib Nazari, Hamid Farhadi, Bashir Hatef, Taliban, Afghan journalists
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