The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) on a statement is alarmed by the recent sentencing of local reporter Mahdi Ansari to one and a half years in prison by the de facto primary court in Kabul.

AFJC says this sentence follows his arrest by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) three months ago, raising serious concerns about the state of press freedom in Afghanistan.

AFJC

AFJC statement says, the trial of Mahdi Ansari took place on January 1, 2025. According to a copy of the court’s verdict obtained by AFJC, Ansari was convicted on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Emirate” (Taliban). His time already spent in detention was taken into account in the sentencing.

Ansari, who worked as a reporter for the Afghan News Agency, was reported missing after leaving his office on the evening of October 5, 2024. A family member confirmed that he was arrested by GDI officers and has been held at “Directorate 40” in Kabul since that time.

Rahmatullah Karimi, the managing director of the Afghan News Agency, stated to AFJC that Ansari’s arrest was not connected to his professional reporting. However, a colleague close to Ansari indicated that he had been sharing information about events in Afghanistan on social media platforms, including Facebook and his personal YouTube channel, which may have been considered a violation of the restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities.

AFJC strongly condemned the conviction of Mahdi Ansari, viewing it as an infringement on the rights of journalists to perform their duties without fear of reprisal. Under Afghanistan’s media law, which the de facto Ministry of Information and Culture recognizes, journalists are entitled to exercise their rights to free expression and to report on issues of public interest without undue restrictions.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center urged the de facto authorities to thoroughly review the sentence of Mahdi Ansari and to release him, along with all other imprisoned journalists, immediately and unconditionally.