Amnesty International has called for the “immediate” release of political analyst Jawed Kohistani and radio director Hekmat Aryan, condemning their arrests as part of the Taliban’s escalating crackdown on dissent.
The organization warned that these arbitrary detentions are emblematic of the “relentless repression under the Taliban’s rule” against individuals who dare to speak out or express their views peacefully.
In a post on X, Amnesty International’s South Asia Desk stressed that these reprisals violate Afghanistan’s commitments under international human rights law.
“The Taliban de facto authorities must immediately release Javid Kohistani, Hekmat Aryan, and others who have been unlawfully arrested,” the statement read. It further urged the Taliban to end the practices of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture, which continue to target those exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
Kohistani, a well-known political commentator, was detained last week in Kabul. Separately, on September 29, the Taliban arrested Aryan, the director of the private radio station Khushhal, in Ghazni province.
These arrests are part of a growing pattern of repression in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has increasingly silenced journalists, activists, and intellectuals critical of their rule.
