Three Afghan journalists have been detained by Afghan intelligence officials in Kabul, according to media support groups, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in Afghanistan.
The detained journalists have been identified as Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish of TOLOnews, and Jawid Niazi of Paigard News Agency.
Media support groups said the journalists were taken into custody by Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence in Kabul. The reasons for their detention have not been publicly disclosed.
TOLOnews confirmed that two of its journalists, Imran Danish and Mansoor Niazi, had been detained in Kabul. The broadcaster said Afghan officials told its newsroom that further details would be shared following the completion of relevant legal procedures.
AnewZ contacted Afghan officials in Kabul for comment on the recent arrests. It had not received a response at the time of publication.
Amnesty International said it was deeply concerned by reports of the arrests and the disappearance of the three journalists.
“Amnesty International is deeply concerned by media reports regarding the arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance of three Afghan journalists.”
The rights group said the case appeared to form part of ongoing pressure on journalists and media workers in Afghanistan.
“These actions appear to be part of a broader and continuing pattern of intimidation and reprisals against journalists and media workers in Afghanistan.”
Amnesty International added: “The Taliban de facto authorities must immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of Mansoor Niazi, Imran Danish and Jawid Niazi.”
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) also condemned what it described as a recent wave of arrests and threats against journalists in Afghanistan.
AFJC said at least three journalists had been detained by the de facto General Directorate of Intelligence in Kabul and that their whereabouts remained unknown.
The organisation called for the immediate and unconditional release of journalists detained for their work.
“Journalists must be able to carry out their work without fear of harassment, intimidation or detention.”
AFJC added that, according to its Press Freedom Tracker, at least seven journalists are currently known to be in detention or serving sentences.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran warns the key waterway will not reopen while Washing...
An overnight drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed a child, injured two people and damaged residential buildings and k...
Large parts of Libya’s fourth largest city have been left without power following a drone attack on a power station, the country's state energy comp...
One hundred years after the First World War and more than eighty years after the devastation of the Second World War gave rise to the United Nations, humanity once again finds itself living in an age of permanent crisis.
Flights arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended after volcanic ash from a new eruption of Mount Etna drifted into the airspace around the airport, disrupting operations at one of Italy’s busiest aviation hubs.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has surpassed $1.1 billion at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing film of the director’s career.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has outlined an expanded vision for the Zangezur Corridor, describing it not simply as a transport route connecting mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave, but as a future platform for energy, telecommunications and wider regional integration.
Iran will host senior officials from the five Caspian Sea littoral states at a conference in Tehran on 23 September, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and addressing environmental challenges facing the sea.
Afghanistan and Turkmenistan signed a gas-purchase memorandum for the TAPI pipeline in Herat on Monday, as the two sides pushed for agreement on pricing and faster progress on the regional energy project.
As Russian officials praise Georgia’s “pragmatic” approach towards Moscow, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has explained why he will not describe Russia as an “enemy”.
Kazakhstan has begun building the Beineu-Saksaulsk highway, a new Middle Corridor link expected to shorten freight journeys between China and Europe by around 1,000 kilometres and reduce delivery times by up to three days.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment