Nai in Exile, a media advocacy group, has called for international intervention following the recent detention of journalists by the Taliban, warning that arrests of media workers have become increasingly systematic in Afghanistan.
The group urged the UN mission in Kabul and the EU delegation in Afghanistan to engage directly with Taliban and press for the immediate release of detained journalists.
The appeal followed the arrests of three journalists over the past week, including Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish, reporters for TOLOnews, and Jawed Niazi, the editor of the local Paigard news agency.
According to media rights groups, at least seven journalists are currently being held in Taliban custody, including Bashir Hatef, Hamid Farhadi, Shakib Nazari and Abuzar Sarem.
Nai in Exile said the detention of journalists had become a “routine practice” under Taliban rule and warned against ignoring what it described as an escalating crackdown on independent media.
In a statement, the organization said the Taliban had detained roughly 400 journalists and media workers since returning to power in 2021.
“Based on these figures, the Taliban have arrested at least three journalists or media workers every two weeks,” the organization said. “This has become a normal and continuous practice.”
The group also said the Taliban had not changed despite efforts by some countries to engage with Taliban diplomatically.
“Contrary to their claims, the Taliban have not changed,” the statement said. “They remain hostile to human values.”
The recent arrests have raised particular concern within Afghanistan’s media community.
Sources familiar with the case said Mansoor Niazi had been detained by Taliban intelligence agents in Kabul last Thursday. The whereabouts of the journalists remain unclear, and relatives say they have received little information about their condition.
Neither the Taliban nor TOLOnews have publicly commented in detail on the arrests.
Press freedom organizations say the environment for independent journalism in Afghanistan has sharply deteriorated since the Taliban takeover.
In its latest World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan 175th out of 180 countries, citing censorship, gender restrictions and intimidation of journalists.
The organization has reported that dozens of media outlets have closed since 2021, while many journalists have fled the country or left the profession because of pressure, threats and economic hardship.
Media advocates say continued detentions and restrictions are further narrowing access to independent information in Afghanistan at a time of deep political and humanitarian crisis.
