ISLAMABAD: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the Taliban’s detention of 12 journalists in Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost province, calling the arrests another sign of the group’s escalating crackdown on independent media.
The Paris-based media watchdog said, “Taliban authorities briefly detained the journalists while they were covering a book fair in Khost and confiscated their cameras and reporting equipment before releasing them.”
RSF described the incident as a “repressive act” aimed at intimidating journalists and restricting media coverage in Afghanistan.
According to Afghan news website Afghanistan International, Taliban intelligence officials detained the journalists during the event, questioned them, and erased or seized material recorded on their cameras.
“The reporters were later released, but the incident has sparked fresh concerns about the safety of journalists working under Taliban rule.”
RSF calls for accountability
RSF urged the Taliban authorities to end arbitrary arrests and harassment of journalists and to respect press freedom in Afghanistan.
The organization said, “Journalists must be allowed to carry out their professional duties without intimidation, detention or interference.”
It added that confiscating cameras and reporting equipment violates media freedom and further deepens the climate of fear facing Afghan journalists.
RSF has repeatedly warned that press freedom in Afghanistan has deteriorated sharply since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, with arrests, censorship and threats becoming increasingly common across the country.
Growing pressure on Afghan media
The latest incident comes amid a broader pattern of restrictions imposed on Afghanistan’s media sector.
Rights groups say Taliban authorities have tightened censorship, suspended media outlets, interrogated reporters and imposed strict limits on coverage of security issues and criticism of the government.
In May this year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed serious concern after Taliban authorities detained three journalists in Kabul on undisclosed charges.
UNAMA urged the Taliban to uphold international human rights obligations and ensure that journalists can work without fear of intimidation or reprisals.
International media rights organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, have also warned that raids on media organizations and arrests of journalists have created a climate of fear across Afghanistan.
One of the world’s most dangerous countries for press freedom
RSF says Afghanistan has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists since the Taliban takeover. Thousands of media workers have lost their jobs, hundreds of journalists have fled the country, and women journalists have been pushed out of most media roles due to Taliban restrictions.
The organization says more than 140 journalists have been arrested or detained during Taliban rule, while dozens of media outlets have been shut down as authorities continue to suppress independent reporting and dissenting voices.
RSF has called on the international community to continue monitoring violations against journalists in Afghanistan and to press the Taliban to guarantee freedom of the press and the safety of media professionals.