Employees of Radio Nasim Arrested in Daikundi, Media Outlet Shut Down Again

Kokcha News Agency: The manager and two reporters of Radio Nasim in Daikundi were arrested by local intelligence officials, and the station’s equipment was confiscated, leading to the suspension of its operations. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AJC) condemned this action as a clear attempt to suppress and further restrict independent media in the province.

According to a local source, intelligence officers in Daikundi arrested Saifullah Rezaei, a reporter for Radio Nasim, and Qudratullah Mousavi, a reporter for Radio Sada-e Qarya, around 1 PM on Wednesday, August 15, while they were covering a meeting organized by the local government’s Directorate of Tribes and Clans. The meeting was attended by local officials and elders.

After the arrest of the two reporters, Sultan Ali Jawadi, the manager of Radio Nasim, and Mojtaba Qasemi, another reporter, were also summoned and detained. Intelligence officials confiscated the computer used for broadcasting at Radio Nasim and took it to the intelligence headquarters.

Another source in Nili, the provincial capital, reported that Qudratullah Mousavi was released at 3 PM, but the manager and two reporters of Radio Nasim were interrogated until 11:30 PM over allegations related to recent reports on the activities of ISIS and armed opposition groups against the Taliban government. Following the arrests and confiscation of equipment, Radio Nasim in Daikundi and its local studio in Bamyan were forced to cease operations.

This is not the first time Radio Nasim has faced such challenges. In October 2023, Sultan Ali Jawadi, Saifullah Rezaei, and Mojtaba Qasemi were arrested on charges of propaganda against the ruling administration, and the station was shut down for nearly five months. Jawadi was sentenced to one year in prison but was released after serving 134 days and resumed his work at the station.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center condemned the arrests and the confiscation of equipment, calling it a blatant attack on press freedom. The AJC urged local authorities in Daikundi to stop threatening and restricting independent media and to allow local journalists to exercise their fundamental rights to report events and voice the concerns of the people without fear of arrest or censorship.