conflicts
Reporters Without Borders: Taliban arrest nine journalists
Taliban fighters patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan. photo
© Abdul Khaliq/AP/dpa
Since returning to power, the Taliban have severely curtailed freedom of the press in Afghanistan. Hundreds have fled the regime. Those who stayed live in uncertainty.
The militant Islamist According to Reporters Without Borders, the Taliban arrested nine journalists in Afghanistan within a short period of time.
The arrests were made in raids in five provinces over the past eleven days, the organization said. “There is fear and uncertainty among Afghan media professionals,” said RSF Managing Director Christian Mihr. One of the journalists is now free again.
On Monday, the Afghan organization NAI reported on the detention of three reporters in the southern province of Kandahar. “There is no clear reason for the arrest of these journalists,” it said in a statement.
Since returning to power two years ago, the Taliban have severely restricted press freedom. Hundreds of media workers have fled since then. More than 80 percent of Afghan women journalists have stopped working. Pressure from the Taliban, especially from the secret service, has prompted many media outlets to self-censor.