Taliban on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of two TOLOnews journalists, saying they are being prosecuted.
Khabib Ghufran, spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, confirmed in a statement that the two journalists had been detained several days earlier and said their cases were under investigation.
He did not disclose the charges or reasons for the arrests.
Ghufran said no Taliban court had yet issued a ruling against the journalists and described reports circulating in the media about the case as “false.”
The detained journalists were identified as Mansoor Niazi, a presenter of current affairs shows at TOLOnews, and Imran Danish, the head of the network’s current affairs.
The confirmation came after sources told Amu TV that Taliban intelligence agents, accompanied by more than 40 armed men, raided the offices of TOLOnews and its parent company, MOBY Group, in Kabul.
According to the sources, the compound remained under Taliban control for several hours on Sunday afternoon and evening.
The sources said Taliban agents searched the mobile phones of employees, including senior managers at TOLOnews and MOBY Group, and confiscated computers from one department within the organization.
Several employees, particularly women, were subjected to harsh treatment during the raid, the sources said.
Taliban have not publicly addressed those allegations.
The arrests and raid have drawn criticism from international rights organizations and media advocacy groups, which say the Taliban are intensifying pressure on independent journalism in Afghanistan.
Amnesty International condemned the detention of Mansoor Niazi, Imran Danish and Jawed Niazi, editor of the local Paigard news agency, calling the arrests a serious violation of freedom of expression and international law.
The organization urged Taliban to reveal the whereabouts and condition of the detained journalists and release them unless formal charges are brought.
According to information gathered by Amu TV, at least seven journalists are currently being held by Taliban, including Bashir Hatef, Hamid Farhadi, Shakib Nazari, Abuzar Sarem, Jawed Niazi, Imran Danish and Mansoor Niazi.
Press freedom organizations say conditions for Afghan journalists have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
In its latest World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan among the world’s worst countries for press freedom, citing arrests, intimidation and restrictions on media activity.
