human rights defender

Sayed Ahmad Rashid Kashifi

Actions and Campaigns

Urgent support needed

Legal assistance

Medical assistance

Psychosocial support

HRD's year of birth

1991

HRD's Gender

Man

Type of HRD

Journalist/Blogger

HRD's thematic area of engagement

Civil and political rights
Economic, social and cultural rights
Minorities’ rights
Women's rights

HRD's geographical origin

Urban

Current Status

Released

HRD's bio and work

Rashid Kashifi is a journalist since 2013, with experience working with national and international outlets such as Kabul Times, Rasa TV, and Afghanistan International. Known for reporting facts with honesty and courage, even in the face of censorship and professional challenges.

Detained since

Apr 12, 2025

Date of release

Nov 6, 2025

Charge(s)

Anti-government propaganda

Sentence

One year in prison

Latitude: 34.52666568569556

Longitude: 69.17506070759366

Geolocation of detention

Country or area of detention

Region of detention

Asia: Southern Asia

Location of detention - City/Town

Kabul

Location of detention - Facility

Detention Center of 40th Directorate of National Intelligence Agency

Alternative mailing address

Allegations / reports of ill-treatment

Kashifi reported being subjected to physical torture during the investigation against him. This included beatings on his back with a belt and having the investigators' feet pressed against his face.

Recent case update / evolution

In March 2025, Rashid Kashifi was arrested for the first time and tortured. Taliban agents confiscated his work equipment, including his camera, audio recorder, and phone. In the following weeks, intelligence officials repeatedly summoned him to their media department, claiming that it was to return his belongings. However, Kashifi believed that it was a trap to arrest him again.

In April 2025, he was arrested by the ٔNational intelligence agency on charges of collaborating with foreign media and propaganda against the Taliban. He was then reportedly sentenced to one year in prison.

Rashid Kashifi was released in November 2025.