CPJ Urges US to Release Afghan Journalist Facing Deportation to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
CPJ Urges US to Release Afghan Journalist Facing Deportation to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on US immigration authorities to immediately release Afghan journalist Shaban Ali Rafat and grant him a full hearing on his asylum case, warning that deportation to Afghanistan could expose him to persecution and torture under Taliban rule.
In a statement issued on November 13, 2026, CPJ said Rafat had been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California since January 21, 2025. His lawyer, David Tarr, warned that he now faces deportation despite previous findings indicating a serious risk of torture if returned to Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Rafat worked as a reporter and producer for state-owned Maaref TV and as a senior media officer at Kabul University. His reporting included the November 2020 university attack and the persecution of Afghanistan’s Hazara community.
On November 6, a US magistrate judge recommended granting Rafat’s habeas corpus petition and releasing him under supervision, ruling that his continued detention was unreasonable. The recommendation remains subject to review by a district judge.
CPJ also highlighted growing restrictions on media serving Afghanistan’s Hazara and Shia communities. In 2026, Taliban authorities shut down Tamadon TV, Rah-e-Farda TV and the Afghan Voice Agency, while detaining journalists and senior media personnel associated with the outlets.
The organisation warned that returning Rafat to Afghanistan would place him at risk because of his journalistic work and urged US authorities to respect press freedom and human rights protections.
