Five journalists who work for a daily newspaper ‘Etilaatroz’ in Kabul were arrested by the Taliban’s caretaker government on Wednesday, said ToloNews on Twitter.
Zaki Daryabi. the Editor-in-Chief of Etilaatroz has confirmed the arrest, ToloNews reported.
The arrest of five journalists comes just one day after the Taliban declared the formation of a new caretaker administration in Afghanistan, led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund.
Fears of repression have been rising among media houses and personnel ever since the Taliban took over the war-torn country in mid-August after the fall of the Afghan government, led by Ashraf Ghani.
Earlier, the Taliban has promised the international community that it will not snatch away the rights of journalists and that freedom of expression will be there in the country. However, this arrest makes it clear that the Taliban is breaking its promises.
In a similar incident, one journalist from ToloNews was detained for around three hours on Tuesday, September 7, while covering the ongoing anti-Pakistan protests in Kabul.
Recently two Afghan journalists were left with ugly welts and bruises after being beaten and detained for hours by Taliban enforcers for covering a protest in the Afghan capital.
A group of UN human rights officials had called on all countries to provide urgent protection to media workers and Afghan journalists, who are working on the ground level amid the Tablian militants.
Currently, no international force seems to be able to stop or control the brutal actions of the Taliban and their barbaric rule is unfolding every single day. A couple of days ago, the Taliban killed a pregnant Afghan policewoman in front of her family in Ghor province.
Earlier, the Taliban leadership asked Afghan media to operate as usual, besides their apparent softening stance on women. It has said media will be allowed to criticize anyone, but they should not indulge in character assassination, the spokesperson said.
At present, Afghan nationals in huge numbers are holding massive protests on the streets of Kabul and the protestors mainly include Afghan women in large numbers. The women are protesting before the Pakistani embassy chanting anti-Pakistan slogans against the country for supporting the Taliban in hijacking the country.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.