KABUL — As Taliban continue to detain journalists, civil society activists and clerics critical of their rule, the Taliban’s minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice has called for what he described as a campaign against “propaganda.”
Khalid Hanafi spoke to a session in Kabul where filming was banned. In an audio message released by the Taliban from the event, Hanafi told subordinates that “the era of battlefield fighting is over — now the battle is one of propaganda and the pen.”
His comments come amid mounting reports of intimidation, arrest and punishment of those who speak out against the Taliban. A source familiar with the matter told Amu TV that at least 15 media workers and three religious scholars remain in Taliban custody, detained for their public remarks or published content.
Two additional sources from journalist advocacy organizations confirmed that some of those held have been sentenced to two to three years in prison by Taliban-run courts.
A former detainee who recently secured release, and who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, described being beaten in front of family members and subjected to abuse in custody.
“They stormed my house, blindfolded me with black plastic in front of my children,” the man said. “They beat me so badly I passed out. In prison, the torture continued.”
The fate of the three detained clerics — Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Qanit, Mawlawi Sirajuddin and Mawlawi Bashir Hanafi — remains unknown. Family members told Amu that they are gravely concerned for the men’s well-being.
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, Taliban have sharply curtailed free expression and dissent, despite pledges to the contrary. The United Nations and press freedom groups have repeatedly raised alarm over the climate of fear facing Afghanistan’s media workers and activists.
