Mohammad Rahmati, source: Social Media
June 27, 2023
Kabul — The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) strongly condemns the ongoing detention of Tamadon TV’s managing director and one employee by Taliban de facto authorities, calling for their immediate and unconditional release and the reopening of the station.
Sources within Tamadon TV, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, report that Taliban Ministry of Justice forces detained Managing Director Mohammad Rahmati and staff member Mohammad Reza Ihsani in Kabul. The detention followed a raid on the station’s premises on June 23, after Tamadon TV publicly criticized earlier actions against the station. During the raid, Taliban officials questioned employees about the social media statement and subsequently took Rahmati and Ihsani into custody.
In a statement issued on July 27, 2026, via Tamadon TV’s Facebook page, the station confirmed that Rahmati and Ihsani had been detained without formal charges or a court order. The station reports that both are being held in solitary confinement, with Rahmati’s health reportedly deteriorating. Tamadon TV warned that any further harm to Rahmati would be the responsibility of the Taliban authorities.
No official explanation has yet been provided by Taliban officials regarding the reasons for the detention or the station’s closure.
Tamadon TV’s office was previously raided in June 2024, during which several staff members were assaulted. The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice claimed the station was affiliated with the outlawed Harkat-e-Islami Afghanistan and operated on “seized land,” leading to an announcement that the station would be shut down — a move that wan not implemented.
Mohammad Jawad Mohseni, head of Tamadon TV, stated via Facebook that the station remains closed, with equipment seized and transferred by unknown individuals to an undisclosed location. This occurs while a special court reviews an unresolved land dispute case, he added. Mohseni also rejected the Taliban de facto authority’s claim of affiliation with Harkat-e-Islami Afghanistan, noting that the founder, Ayatollah Mohammad Asif Mohseni, passed away in 2019—two years before the Taliban’s return to power. He emphasized that the founder had distanced himself from political activities and had officially reported this to the ministry long before.
AFJC condemns the detention of Rahmati and Ihsani and urges Taliban de facto authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally. We call for the station’s reopening and the safe, unrestricted return of its staff to work without threats, intimidation, or fear of detention.
According to the AFJC’s findings, since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions on media operations, detaining or imprisoning approximately 300 journalists and media staff for alleged violations of strict media guidelines. Currently, at least seven journalists and media workers remain in custody.