Hamid Farhadi, a reporter for the U.S.-based Afghan news outlet Etilaatroz, known in English as KabulNow, was arrested in Kabul on September 3, 2024, by Taliban forces from the Ministry of Interior, according to news reports and Amnesty International.
On September 19, 2024, a Taliban court in the capital tried Farhadi without access to a defense lawyer, on spreading “propaganda” against Taliban authorities and sentenced him to two years in prison.
Following the trial, Farhadi was held at the notorious Pul-e-Charkhi prison, before being shifted without notice on March 28, 2025, to Bagram prison.
Since returning to power on August 15, 2021, the Taliban have carried out an unprecedented crackdown on Afghan media, detaining and imprisoning numerous journalists and shutting down multiple outlets across the country.
Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat had not responded to CPJ’s request for comment sent via a messaging app.