Taliban have arrested dozens of individuals across the country over the past month, including at least seven journalists, for posting content on social media that Taliban have labeled “un-Islamic,” sources said on Sunday.
The detentions have been primarily conducted by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence and the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
In many cases, no formal charges have been disclosed.
The arrests took place across several provinces, including Kabul, Ghazni, Herat, Laghman, Kandahar and Sar-e-Pul, often during nighttime raids. Family members of the detained say they have been denied access to their loved ones and remain uninformed about their whereabouts or legal status.
“My son is a sports journalist,” said one mother of a detainee, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “He was never affiliated with any political or armed group. But we have not heard from him for months since the Taliban took him.”
Several of the detained journalists are believed to have been arrested for cooperating with foreign media organizations. Media watchdog groups say the arrests are part of an escalating campaign to suppress dissent and silence independent voices.
Videos released periodically by Taliban authorities show detainees offering televised apologies — clips rights groups believe are made under coercion or after mistreatment.
“There is a climate of fear, censorship and intimidation,” said a Kabul-based journalist, who asked not to be named. “People are terrified of saying the wrong thing online. Even a simple post can lead to arrest.”
Sources also confirmed the Taliban have created a special digital surveillance unit tasked with tracking and monitoring the online activities of social media users, journalists and activists deemed critical of the regime.
Press freedom advocates say the Taliban’s approach has rendered Afghanistan one of the most repressive countries in the world for journalists.
