KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Pakistani police have detained Afghan journalist Samim Naimi in Islamabad and transferred him to a temporary detention facility for potential deportation to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, according to a media advocacy group.
In a statement, the Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) stated that Naimi was detained in the B-17 neighborhood of the capital on Wednesday evening and moved to Haji Camp, where authorities typically hold Afghan refugees for one or two days before deportation.
AMSO said Naimi possesses an official letter from the French Embassy in Islamabad confirming that his immigration case is under review there and requesting he not be deported to Afghanistan. The organization warned that forced return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would expose him to serious security threats and risk to his life.
AMSO strongly condemned the arrest as a violation of human rights, refugee protection principles, and freedom of expression.
The organization urged the UNHCR, French government, European Union, Reporters Without Borders, and other international organizations to intervene urgently for Naimi’s release and to press Pakistan to halt arbitrary arrests and forced deportations of Afghan journalists.
AMSO also emphasized the need to accelerate relocation of Afghan journalists to safe third countries, noting they face insecurity in neighboring states like Pakistan and Iran.
Many Afghan journalists fled abroad after the Taliban seized power in 2021, seeking asylum in Europe and the United States, though significant numbers remain in neighboring Pakistan and Iran awaiting immigration decisions.
Rights groups say dozens of Afghan journalists have been deported from Pakistan and Iran in recent years, with RSF reporting nearly 200 still waiting in Pakistan for third-country visas and at least 20 deported in 2025 alone.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly called on Pakistan and Iran to halt deportations and urged Western countries to speed up resettlement, highlighting the growing risk of deportation in Pakistan and the ongoing life-threatening dangers in Afghanistan for journalists, women, minorities, former government officials, and civil society activists.