Relatives of Habib Rahman Taseer, a journalist from Ghazni province, have reported that he was detained by Taliban intelligence 12 days ago and has recently been transferred to the Taliban’s provincial central prison.
Taseer, who was employed by Radio Azadi, was detained on April 6 by the Taliban’s intelligence forces, accused of producing reports for the media outlet.
During his detention, his smartphone was confiscated and searched without his consent. To date, Radio Azadi has not issued an official statement regarding his arrest.
According to his family, Taseer faced pressures even prior to his arrest and was excluded from a cooperative group involving local reporters and officials.
Despite attempts to secure his release, he was moved to the Ghazni provincial prison three days ago, with intentions to bring his case to court.
Several media support groups, including the Afghanistan Journalists Center, have called for Taseer’s immediate release, expressing deep concern over his continued detention.
Following their rise to power, the Taliban has disrupted broadcast operations for international media within Afghanistan, including Radio Liberty and Voice of America, by cutting off their frequencies and blocking their websites.
