KABUL, Afghanistan — Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur for Afghanistan, on Thursday called for the immediate and unconditional release of two employees of Radio Begum, a Kabul-based, women-led radio station, who were detained by the Taliban earlier this week.
Bennett said he was “deeply concerned” about the arrests and urged the Taliban to halt its intimidation and arbitrary detention of journalists and media workers, which he said had severely eroded civic space in Afghanistan.
“Deeply concerned about detention of 2 male staff from women-led radio station Radio Begum and urge their immediate and unconditional release & to stop intimidation and arbitrary arrests of journalists and media workers which has devastated civic space in Afghanistan,” Bennett wrote on X, using the hashtag #WomenVoicesMatter.
His remarks came a day after Radio Begum confirmed it had been forced to suspend operations following a Taliban raid on its offices. According to the station, Taliban intelligence officials, accompanied by staff from the Ministry of Information and Culture, raided its office on Tuesday, Feb. 4, questioning employees and confiscating computers, hard drives, documents, and female journalists’ mobile phones. Two male employees were taken into custody, the station said.
Taliban have intensified restrictions on independent media since returning to power in August 2021, shuttering dozens of news outlets and imposing strict controls on press freedom. Journalists and media workers, particularly those covering women’s rights, have faced increasing harassment, detentions, and threats under their rule.
Taliban have not commented on the arrests.
