Hekmat Aryan, the editor-in-chief of the privately-owned Khushhal radio station in Ghazni Province, has been sentenced to one month in prison by a Taliban court, according to a statement from the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) on Monday.
The organization reported that the Taliban’s intelligence agency in Ghazni opposed the court’s ruling and has called for a longer prison term.
The center expressed concern over the court’s decision and the interference by intelligence officials, calling for Aryan’s “immediate and unconditional release.”
AFJC said the initial verdict was handed down on Sunday, with the court sentencing Aryan on charges related to broadcasting content about Taliban military operations.
Aryan was detained by Taliban intelligence agents on October 1 at his workplace in Ghazni. According to Suleiman Rahal, the news director at Khushhal radio, Aryan had previously recorded an audiobook under the former government, which included references to Taliban suicide attacks. This recording, Rahal stated, was never broadcast by Khushhal radio and was produced prior to the Taliban’s return to power.
The Taliban’s intelligence agency has accused Aryan of insulting the group in his recordings, though the details of the alleged offense have not been specified. The case highlights ongoing concerns over press freedom under Taliban rule.
