RASC News Agency: Amnesty International has confirmed the release of Sayed Rahim Saeedi, a prominent Afghanistani content creator and producer of educational media, after spending nearly eleven months in Taliban custody. His detention, widely denounced by international rights groups, is viewed as part of the Taliban’s broader assault on freedom of speech and independent journalism in Afghanistan. In a statement issued on Sunday, June 22, Amnesty International declared unequivocally that Saeedi should never have been imprisoned. His arrest, the organization emphasized, represented a flagrant violation of international human rights norms and underscored the Taliban’s brutal suppression of free expression under their authoritarian rule.
Saeedi was sentenced last year to three years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Emirate,” a vague accusation frequently used by the Taliban to criminalize dissenting voices. According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center, this sentence was handed down without the presence of legal counsel and without notifying his family highlighting the complete absence of due process and legal transparency in Taliban-controlled courts. Credible reports indicate that during his incarceration, Saeedi was subjected to both physical abuse and psychological torment. His mistreatment drew international condemnation from journalists’ unions, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders who continue to sound the alarm about the Taliban’s systematic campaign of repression.
Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on media freedom, frequently detaining journalists and shutting down critical outlets. Under their de facto regime, journalism has become one of the most dangerous professions in the country, with reporters facing constant threats, arbitrary arrest, and torture merely for fulfilling their professional duties. The release of Saeedi, though a welcome development, does not signal a shift in Taliban policy. Rather, it casts a harsh spotlight on the dire state of press freedom in Afghanistan. Dozens of other Afghanistani journalists remain detained, intimidated, or forced into exile. Those still reporting inside the country operate under relentless pressure, often at the cost of their safety and lives.
Despite repeated international appeals, the Taliban continue to reject calls for accountability and press freedom. By weaponizing the legal system to punish media workers and silence dissent, they are dismantling the very fabric of civil society and driving the nation deeper into authoritarian darkness. The international community, including global media watchdogs and human rights organizations, has been urged to take stronger action to pressure the Taliban to release all detained journalists, lift restrictions on the press, and uphold the universal right to freedom of expression. As long as silence is enforced by fear and truth is punished by imprisonment, Afghanistan cannot move toward peace, justice, or democratic recovery.
