Journalist Mehdi Ansari Released from Bagram Prison
KABUL (Afghan Verified) — Mehdi Ansari, a journalist arrested by Taliban intelligence, was released from Bagram prison around 8 p.m. on Wednesday and reunited with his family in Kabul.
Ansari disappeared on 14 Mizan after leaving his office in Kabul's Pul-e Khishti area. His family confirmed three days later that he had been detained by Taliban intelligence forces.
On 12 Jadi 1403, the Kabul primary court sentenced him to one and a half years in prison on charges of propaganda against the Taliban administration.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center stated that Ansari's fundamental rights were seriously violated. It said he was convicted unfairly without an independent lawyer and that intelligence forces published a video of his forced confession during his imprisonment.
According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center, at least 21 journalists and media workers have been arrested in the country in 1404. Following Ansari's release, at least four others remain in prison.
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Where reports agree
- Mehdi Ansari, a journalist, was arrested by Taliban intelligence, sentenced to 1.5 years for propaganda, imprisoned in Bagram, and released around 8 PM last night to join family in Kabul.
- Afghanistan Journalists Center reports rights violations, unfair trial without independent lawyer, forced confession video, and stats on 21 arrests in 1404 with 4 remaining.
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