Taliban have arrested Hikmat Aryan, the director of Radio Khushhal, a private radio station in Ghazni, according to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC).
Radio Khushhal began operations approximately seven months ago.
AFJC reported that Aryan was apprehended on Sunday, September 29, at his office by the Taliban’s Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), which has accused him of discussing past Taliban suicide attacks in an audio recording that was subsequently broadcast by the radio station.
The audio book, Suicider, was recorded by Aryan years ago and is popular on social media. The book is against the Taliban’s attempt to show the positive side of suicide attacks.
The Taliban’s intelligence agency has deemed this broadcast as disrespectful to Taliban members. However, Aryan’s family has rejected these allegations, asserting that his work adheres to journalistic standards and ethics.
To date, no information has been released about his condition or whereabouts.
The Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization (AJSO) condemned the arrest of Aryan and demanded his immediate release.
AFJC stated: “We are gravely concerned that the whereabouts and current situation of Hekmat Aryan have not been disclosed to his family as of the time of this release, which constitutes a violation of their visitation rights.”
AFJC further emphasized: “We call on the Taliban authorities in Ghazi to immediately and unconditionally release Hekmat Aryan and to cease the use of force against journalists. Media workers must be allowed to perform their duties without the fear of arrest, threats, or attacks.”
This story first appeared on RadioInfo.asia