Mansoor Nekmal, editor-in-chief of Khaama Press news agency, was arrested last Thursday by the Taliban. According to the news agency’s owner, the arrest was linked to a report featuring a “photo of a young woman.”
Since the arrest, there has been no update on Nekmal’s condition, according to his colleagues.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has called for Nekmal’s immediate release. Khushnood Nabizada, owner of Khaama Press, stated that Nekmal was summoned by the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue for “publishing a photo of a young woman,” after which no information about his whereabouts was available.
Nabizada confirmed that Nekmal was detained by the Taliban. He explained that the Ministry of Vice and Virtue accused Khaama Press of breaching its decree on the hijab by covering a story on the reduced presence of women in Kabul following Taliban crackdowns.
The AFJC has urged the Taliban to adhere to media laws and facilitate a conducive environment for media operations in accordance with the law. Nekmal has served as the editor-in-chief of Khaama Press for the past two years, the AFJC noted.
