Reporters Without Borders Condemns Arrests and Forced Confessions of Journalists by Taliban

Photo: MOHD RASFAN / AFP

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in a statement, has condemned the arbitrary arrest of journalists and media workers in Kabul by the Taliban and has called for their immediate release and an end to the group’s pressure on the media.

In the statement, the organization said that over the past 17 days, at least four journalists and media workers have been arrested in Kabul by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence and the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Referring to the arrest of journalists including Abuzar Sarem Sarepuli, head of TAWANA News Agency and the Federation of Afghanistan Media, RSF stated that the Taliban detained him on charges of “conducting journalism training courses for women,” “receiving foreign funding,” and “sending confidential reports to media considered enemies of Islam,” and later released a video of his “forced confession” in which he is accused of “espionage” and “moral corruption.”

Also, Bashir Hatef, a freelance journalist for Zhwandoon TV, and Shakib Nazari, a freelance journalist for the Japanese media outlet i24 News, were arrested by the Taliban and taken to an unknown location.

RSF described these arrests and the broadcast of forced confessions as part of the Taliban’s targeted effort to “eradicate independent journalism in Afghanistan” and stressed that extracting forced confessions is a blatant violation of the right to a fair trial and of press freedom.

Célia Mercier, head of the organization’s South Asia desk, said, “This repressive method of the Taliban must be stopped immediately. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained journalists and the return of their confiscated equipment.”

She also called on the international community not to remain silent in the face of this repression and to take concrete action to defend press freedom in Afghanistan.