Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has brought to light a worrying surge in the detention of journalists in Afghanistan following the takeover of the country by the Taliban.
Within the past 10 days, nine journalists have been arrested by the Taliban, causing significant concern among media organizations globally. The organization revealed on Wednesday that 12 journalists are currently being held in detention without any apparent reasons given. This situation has heightened concerns about press freedom and journalist safety in Afghanistan. According to the statement released by the RSF, the list of the nine arrested journalists is as follows:
“Faqir Mohammad Faqirzai, Jan Agha Saleh, Haseeb Hassas, Habib Sarab, Sayed Wahdatullah Abdali, Shamsullah Omari, Wahidrahman Afghanmal, Ataullah Omar and Parwiz Sargand.” The statement added, “They were arrested in raids in five of Afghanistan’s provinces without any reason being given, and all but one are still being held. Where they are held is not known.” The RSF condemned the arrest of journalists in Afghanistan and said:
“Fear and uncertainty now reign in Afghanistan. Two years after a new regime was established, these arrests have again given the lie to the assurances that certain Taliban officials gave about respecting press freedom. The record of violations of the right to information is appalling, and the regime is fully responsible. RSF urges the competent Taliban authorities to order the release of the detained journalists immediately and to finally and truly guarantee press freedom.” The organization called the recent raids on independent media the trouble and emphasized that the de facto officials are responsible.
The situation of media and journalists has been deemed alarming in the two years since the Taliban came to power, highlighting a concerning trend.
Earlier, the organization Reporters Without Borders released data indicating that over the last two years, a minimum of eight thousand Afghan journalists have lost their jobs. —PR
