Two employees of Tamadon TV, including its editor-in-chief, Mohammad Rahmati, have been held by the Taliban for six days without a court order, the broadcaster’s director said on Saturday, calling for their immediate release.
Mohammad Jawad Mohseni, the head of Tamadon TV, said Rahmati and Mohammad Reza Ehsani, an employee of the broadcaster, remain in Taliban custody following last week’s raid on the station’s headquarters in Kabul.
According to Mohseni, neither man has been presented with a court order authorizing their detention.
Taliban raided Tamadon TV nearly a week ago, forcing the broadcaster off the air and suspending its operations. Taliban have not publicly explained the reasons for the raid.
Mohseni expressed particular concern over Rahmati’s health, saying his medical condition was incompatible with continued detention.
“Any harm that comes to him will be the direct responsibility of the authority that ordered his detention without a judicial ruling,” Mohseni said.
He urged the relevant Taliban authorities to release both employees and allow the station to resume its operations.
The detentions come as press freedom organizations, including CPJ and RSF, have called on the Taliban to reopen Tamadon TV and end what they describe as growing restrictions on independent media in Afghanistan.
Taliban have not publicly commented on the continued detention of the two employees or on the broadcaster’s closure.
