Taliban arrests journalists over story on censoring: report

The Taliban arrested three journalists from TOLO TV Thursday night, according to the Afghan television station.

The three employees were detained after airing a story about the Taliban’s censorship of a foreign drama series in Afghanistan.

TOLOnews head Khpalwak Sapai and colleague Nafay Khaleeq, the legal adviser to TOLO TV, were released hours after their arrest. Station presenter Bahram Aman remains in custody as of Friday.

Aman told the TOLOnews team on a phone call Friday that the Taliban have promised to release him after two meetings.

Officials from the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence took the three employees into custody after nightfall on orders from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which was recently extended for another year, condemned the Taliban’s suppression of journalism.

“UNAMA expresses its deep concern about the detentions of journalists and the ever increasing restrictions being placed on media in Afghanistan,” the mission wrote. “Time for the Taliban to stop gagging & banning. Time for a constructive dialogue with the Afghan media community.”

The Washington, D.C.-based Committee to Protect Journalists released a similar statement, calling on the Taliban to “immediately release TOLOnews journalist Bahram Aman, and stop its intelligence agency from arbitrarily arresting and intimidating media personnel.”

It continued: “Afghanistan’s once thriving independent media community cannot operate effectively under constant Taliban threats and harassment.”

The Taliban took over the Afghan government shortly after U.S. troops began exiting the country last year, a move that raised concerns globally about human rights in Afghanistan.