The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Taliban to release all reporters jailed in Afghanistan, using the lead-up to International Human Rights Day on 10 December to renew international pressure on the group.
In a statement on Monday, CPJ said Taliban authorities are currently holding at least two Afghan journalists: Mahdi Ansary,and Hamid Farhadi, on charges of working with exile-based media outlets after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
CPJ said that since August 2021, press freedom in Afghanistan has “drastically deteriorated,” with journalists facing arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention, assaults, threats, and censorship. The organisation also highlighted restrictive measures imposed on women journalists, internet shutdowns, and the closure of dozens of media outlets.
“These actions constitute clear violations of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and contradict public statements made by Taliban representatives,” CPJ said.
The group referenced a pledge made by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on 17 August 2021, days after the fall of Kabul, in which he said private media would remain “free and independent.” CPJ said the Taliban should now “deliver on its pledges.”
The organisation urged the Taliban to use Human Rights Day to take “meaningful steps” by releasing all journalists in custody and ensuring they can return to their families and work safely, without fear of reprisal.
According to CPJ, more than 1,500 journalists from over 100 countries endorsed the call for the release of jailed journalists during a solidarity action at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia this year.
“The continued imprisonment and harassment of journalists in Afghanistan undermines any claim of moderation or respect for human rights,” CPJ said, urging the Taliban to reverse course and take “concrete steps toward genuine press freedom.”
