Taliban detained journalists over 250 times in Afghanistan since takeover, U.N. says
The United Nations’ mission to Afghanistan said that the Taliban had arbitrarily detained journalists 256 times since their takeover three years ago.
The United Nations’ mission to Afghanistan said Tuesday that the ruling Taliban had arbitrarily detained journalists 256 times since their takeover three years ago and urged authorities there to protect the media.
In a reply accompanying the report, the Taliban-led foreign ministry denied having arrested that number of journalists and added that those arrested had committed a crime.
Journalists in Afghanistan worked under “challenging conditions”, the U.N. mission (UNAMA) and the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a statement.
“They often face unclear rules on what they can and cannot report, running the risk of intimidation and arbitrary detention for perceived criticism,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the special representative of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“We urge the de facto authorities to ensure the safety and security of all journalists and media workers as they carry out their tasks, and to fully recognize the importance of women working in the media,” she added.
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