KABUL: The United Nations expressed &quot;serious concern&quot; on Thursday over the detention of at least three Afghan journalists, arrested last week by Taliban security agencies on unknown charges. The UN&#39;s Afghanistan mission UNAMA also criticized &quot;assaults against journalists and confiscation of property during search operations&quot; by the authorities. &quot;UNAMA calls for clarification of the legal basis and any charges against the detained journalists,&quot; it said in a statement. TOLOnews said in a post on X on Sunday that two of its journalists, Imran Danish and Mansoor Niazi, had been detained in the Afghan capital. &quot;Security officials, in talks with TOLOnews, have said that details on this matter will be shared after the relevant legal procedures,&quot; it said. At least one other journalist was also arrested, according to UNAMA, but the Taliban regime did not respond to an AFP request for comment on Thursday. The information and culture ministry said on Tuesday that &quot;a few days ago, two TOLOnews journalists were arrested by security agencies&quot;. &quot;Their case is under investigation. The court has not ruled yet,&quot; ministry spokesman Khubaib Ghofran said in a statement, without specifying the reasons for their arrest. Advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists, in a post on X on Tuesday, called on Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban authorities to &quot;immediately and unconditionally release the detained journalists and ensure the press can operate without interference&quot;. The Afghanistan Media Support Organization, a local watchdog, expressed &quot;deep concerns&quot; over the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday. It deplored the lack of &quot;precise information... regarding the reasons for their arrests or their whereabouts&quot;. According to the Afghan watchdog, six other journalists are currently detained by the Taliban authorities. &quot;A free, independent, and safe press is essential for transparency, accountability, and the well-being of Afghan society,&quot; UNAMA said. Afghanistan ranks 175 out of 180 on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.

Afghanistan

United Nations express "serious concern" over the detention of at least three Afghan journalists, arrested last week by Taliban security agencies on unknown charges

UN voices 'serious concern' over detention of Afghan journalists

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Afghan journalists say they are facing mounting pressure, arbitrary detention and threats of violence under Taliban rule, forcing many to work in constant fear while continuing to report on conditions inside the country, Hasht e Subh Daily reported.&nbsp; Journalists and media advocates say reporting in Afghanistan has become increasingly dangerous since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Many reporters say they risk being summoned, detained or imprisoned for publishing material deemed critical of the authorities. Despite those risks, journalists continue to document daily life and report on issues affecting ordinary Afghans. Sahar, a journalist using a pseudonym for security reasons, said pressure on her work has intensified, particularly on social media platforms. &ldquo;Even working in social media now comes with fear and stress,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;There is always the concern that the Taliban could arrest me at any moment, in any place.&rdquo; She said worsening economic conditions have also undermined the viability of independent media outlets, leaving journalists uncertain about their livelihoods. Media coverage restrictedAccording to Sahar, many media organizations are under pressure to produce reports and content that conform to Taliban directives, limiting editorial independence and restricting critical coverage. &nbsp; Taliban authorities arrested three media workers from the Afghanistan Media Organization in July 2025, and all remain in detention, according to the UNAMA report 2026.&nbsp; Officials from the Taliban&rsquo;s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the General Directorate of Intelligence detained the three employees during a broader crackdown on journalists and civil society activists. Two of the detainees were sentenced in December 2025 to prison terms of 2.5 years and 3 years, respectively. The third media worker has not been formally sentenced. The Taliban accused the three of promoting women&rsquo;s education, spreading immorality and espionage. &#39;Systematic destruction&#39;Moreover,&nbsp;Taliban authorities detained three journalists this week, including two reporters from the country&#39;s largest broadcaster, TOLOnews, in what global rights groups call the systematic destruction of independent media.&nbsp; TOLOnews confirmed Sunday that reporters Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish have been held since Thursday without explanation. Sources told Amu TV, an Afghan media outlet, that Niazi was seized in western Kabul. His whereabouts remain unknown. A third journalist, Ahmad Jawed Niazi, the director of Paigard News Agency, was also arrested at his Kabul office this week, according to the Afghanistan Media Support Organization, an exiled press advocacy group. Relatives of all three say they have received no information about their conditions or legal status. Journalists working inside Afghanistan face persistent security threats, including surveillance, harassment and detention, while efforts to document these abuses continue. The Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on the press since taking power, drawing repeated criticism from international press freedom organizations and human rights groups.

A member of the Taliban special forces pushes a journalist (L) covering a demonstration by women protestors outside a school in Kabul on September 30, 2021. (AFP)

Afghan journalists say they are working under constant fear of detention and violence as Taliban restrictions tighten and press freedom continues to shrink.

Articles tagged with "Afghan journalists"

UN voices 'serious concern' over detention of Afghan journalists

Afghan journalists report growing fear, pressure under Taliban rule