February 11, 2024
Aibak, Samangan Province - Saifullah Karimi, a reporter for Pajhwok News Agency, has been detained in northern Samangan Province following a summons to the governor's office. The Afghanistan Journalists Center expresses deep concern regarding Karimi's detention and demands his immediate and unconditional release.
According to a source in Samangan, Saifullah Karimi was summoned to the governor's office on Saturday, February 10, at approximately 10:00 a.m. His fate has remained unknown since then. The head of Samangan's Information and Culture Department contacted Karimi, asking him to come to the office at the governor's secretary's request.
The source revealed, "Ten days ago, Saifullah Karimi requested an interview with Bashir Ahmad Nomani, the head of the finance department, regarding the protest of restaurant and hotel owners in Samangan regarding tax increases. However, Nomani declined the interview and subsequently reported the matter to Governor Abdul Ahad Fazli. Following this, the governor's office summoned Karimi."
"On Wednesday, February 7, Karimi visited the governor's office, but the secretary claimed that the governor was absent and the matter had been resolved." In spite of this, Karimi was summoned again on Saturday, and there have been no updates regarding his whereabouts since.
Additionally, another source disclosed that Saifullah Karimi was subjected to assault while in the governor's office, with one of the governor's bodyguards slapping him in the face. Karimi has been working as a local reporter for Pajhwok Afghan News for approximately seven months.
AFJC expresses serious concern over Saifullah Karimi's detention and urges the local administration of Samangan Province to release him promptly and unconditionally. Moreover, AFJC appeals to the Taliban governor of Samangan Province to uphold the media law and allow journalists to work in accordance with the law.
This incident marks the fourth reported case of journalist arrests within the past three weeks. On January 18, journalists Ahmad Jawad Rasooli and Abdulhaq Hamidi from Gardesh-e-Etilaat News Agency were arrested, followed by Ehsan Akbari from Kyodo News on January 17, all detained by the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) in Kabul. Rasooli and Hamidi were released after two days, and Akbari was released after nine days in custody.
Growing concerns are on the rise with the recent apprehension of a journalist, coming at a crucial time when complaints against media outlets and journalists should ideally be addressed by the Media Complaints and Rights Commission, as outlined in the Mass Media Law. Regrettably, this commission's track record indicates its ineffectiveness in practice, coupled with the Taliban intelligence department's distressing pattern of arbitrarily detaining journalists. As a consequence, a state of widespread panic has gripped the media community.
In 2023, AFJC documented 168 incidents of violations against journalists in the country, including 61 cases of journalist and media worker arrests. At present, two individuals remain in detention. Aminullah Alemi, the head of Mumtaz Radio station in Fariab Province, was sentenced to one year in prison in August on charges ‘unrelated to media activity’. Sultan Ali Jawadi, the head of Nasim Radio in Daikundi Province, has been arrested multiple times by the GDI and received a one-year prison sentence on December 11, 2023.