Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The Afghanistan Journalists Center reported that the employees of Arezo TV, who had been detained, were released after two weeks upon providing “guarantees.”
In a statement released on Sunday, December 22, the center announced the release of Amanullah Azimi, Khalid Barkazi, Amir Hossein Attryan, Zahir Faizi, Samir Ahmad Baik, Haroon Irfan, and Bektash Rofi, employees of Arezo TV, from the custody of Taliban.
It is worth noting that intelligence and the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice agents had sealed the Arezo TV office in Kabul two weeks ago and taken several of its employees into custody.
Seven of these employees were released after two weeks upon providing “guarantees,” but the TV station in Kabul has not yet been allowed to resume its activities. The trial for these employees is scheduled to take place in a week.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center welcomed the release of the Arezo TV employees and urged the authorities to close the case and allow Arezo TV to resume its operations unconditionally.
Arezo TV was established in 2006 in Mazar-e-Sharif, and its office in Kabul began operations in 2009. The TV station is considered one of the prominent media outlets in the fields of reporting, documentary production, series, and film dubbing.
The detention and subsequent release of Arezo TV employees highlight ongoing challenges faced by media outlets under the current political climate in Afghanistan. While the release is a positive development, the restriction on the station’s ability to operate freely raises concerns about media freedom in the country.
The call by the Afghanistan Journalists Center for the closure of the case and the unconditional reopening of Arezo TV reflects broader anxieties about press freedom in Afghanistan, with many hoping for a more transparent and supportive environment for journalists in the future. The situation serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggles for media independence in the region.