Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish, two TOLOnews journalists, who were detained by Taliban intelligence earlier this month have been released from custody, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Danish and Niazi were freed after two weeks in detention, the sources said. Further details about the circumstances of their release were not immediately available.
Taliban had previously confirmed that the cases of Niazi and Danish were under investigation but did not publicly disclose the reasons for their arrests.
Niazi, a news anchor and host of political programs at TOLOnews, was detained on May 7 by Taliban intelligence personnel in Kabul’s Karte Char neighborhood, according to colleagues and media reports.
Danish, a presenter and head of the broadcaster’s political desk, was arrested several days later near TOLOnews’ office in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul.
TOLOnews confirmed the arrests at the time but said it had not been informed of the reasons for the detentions.
The releases come amid continuing concerns over press freedom in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban have detained dozens of journalists, media workers and commentators, often without publicly disclosing the charges against them.
Media watchdogs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, have documented repeated arrests, interrogations and temporary detentions of journalists across the country. Several reporters have also been detained for coverage of protests, criticism of Taliban policies or reporting on sensitive political and security issues.
While some journalists have been released after short periods in custody, rights groups say the arrests have contributed to a climate of fear and self-censorship within Afghanistan’s media sector.
With these journalists released, media rights groups say at least five journalists are currently being held in Taliban custody, including Bashir Hatef, Hamid Farhadi, Shakib Nazari and Abuzar Sarem.
