Afghanistan Journalists Centre (AFJC) has confirmed that the Taliban has today released Mohammad Yar Majrooh, a local journalist who was arrested last week in the southern Kandahar province.
Majrooh’s families and the Taliban local authorities have not commented about his release.
The Taliban intelligence agents had summoned Majrooh and detained him last Wednesday without providing any clarification on his detention.
The AFJC called in its statement, issued today, for the release of three other journalists who were arrested by the Taliban in Khost, Nangarhar, and in the capital Kabul. One of these detained journalists is Mortaza Behboudi who was detained on 07 January, two days after arriving in Kabul as part of a reporting assignment, on charges of spying.
Half of Afghanistan’s once vibrant media outlets have been either forced to stop operation, due to Taliban pressures and economic hardships, or shifted their offices abroad since the group returned to power in August 2021.
Those outlets remained in Afghanistan are operating under strict Taliban rules and face pressing oppression to abide by the group’s restrictions.