The Taliban released two local journalists, Mohammad Ibrahim Mohtaj and Mohammadyar Majroh, after detentions of one and over three weeks, respectively. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) announced their release in a statement on Monday, citing Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
Mujahid stated that the arrests of the two journalists were not related to their media activities. According to the AFJC, Mohtaj was detained on July 27 by employees of the Vice and Virtue department in Kandahar and released two days ago. Majroh, detained on July 12 by Taliban intelligence in Kandahar, was released on Monday, August 5.
Last month, the AFJC reported at least 90 incidents of threats and detentions of journalists in the first two quarters of 2024.
