April 6, 2024
Nili, Daikundi Province- Sultan Ali Jawadi, the former manager of Nasim radio station in central Daikundi province, was released today after spending 134 days in prison. The Afghanistan Journalists Center welcomed his release, stating that Jawadi's arrest was in violation of the country's mass media law and that his freedom should never have been taken away in the first place.
Sultan Ali Jawadi, the former manager of Nasim Radio, was released today on April 6, 2024, from Nili Prison in the center of Daikundi province.
Najiba Wahedi, Jawadi's wife, told AFJC that he was released from Nili prison today at around 12 noon and reunited with his family. Wahedi mentioned that her husband was released by the order of Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
Jawadi was initially arrested by intelligence department or Istekhbarat in the provincial capital Nili on October 8, 2023, and spent 17 days in prison. On December 11, he was sentenced to one year in prison on charges of "propaganda against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [Taliban]" and "espionage for foreign and infidel countries" before being released.
Radio Nasim, which had been closed by the Daikundi local administration in September 2023, was conditionally reopened on March 2, 2024. The media outlet had to appoint a new manager and commit to following Taliban media policies in order to resume its operations.
AFJC applauds the release of Sultan Ali Jawadi and condemns his arrest and imprisonment for 134 days, stating that it goes against the country's media law. Article 4 of the Afghanistan Media Law guarantees the freedom of journalists and media to carry out their professional duties without fear of threats or restrictions.