Exiled Afghan Journalists Launch Campaign Demanding Release of Imprisoned Reporters Shakib Nazari and Hamid Farhadi
Exiled Afghan journalists launched a campaign on April 11, 2026 (22 Hamal), calling for the Taliban to release reporters Shakib Nazari and Hamid Farhadi from prison.
A Taliban military court sentenced Shakib Nazari to three years in prison for cooperating with a Japanese media outlet and propagandizing against the Taliban. The court claimed Nazari ignored orders from Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Separately, the Taliban Interior Ministry arrested Hamid Farhadi in Kabul on September 3, 2024. A Taliban court sentenced him to two years in prison on September 19 for propaganda against the Taliban and ties to the Ettela'at Roz newspaper. Farhadi is serving his sentence in Bagram prison.
The campaign highlights ongoing concerns over the detention of journalists under the Taliban, who have continuously arrested media workers on propaganda charges since regaining control of Afghanistan.
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