KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Journalists Center says that the Taliban have detained at least three journalists and threatened three other journalists in recent days.
In a statement published today (Sunday, May 10), the center said that Taliban intelligence forces have detained Javid Niazi, owner and journalist of Peygard News Agency, as well as Mansour Niazi and Imran Danish, journalists of TOLOnews.
According to the statement, Javid Niazi was detained last Wednesday after being summoned to the Taliban intelligence office, while Mansour Niazi, a TOLOnews journalist, was arrested on Thursday in Kabul’s Karte Char area.
TOLOnews has confirmed the detention of its journalists, Mansour Niazi and Imran Danish, by Taliban intelligence, but has not provided further details on the matter.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center said that at least three other journalists have also been threatened by the Taliban over the past four days, but details have not been disclosed due to security concerns.
The reason for the detention and threats against these journalists remains unclear.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center, while expressing serious concern over the new wave of arrests and threats against journalists in the country, has called on the Taliban to release the detained journalists and other imprisoned media workers, and to allow them to exercise their rights properly and without fear of detention or intimidation.
According to statistics from the Afghanistan Journalists Center, at least seven journalists are currently being held in Taliban prisons, some of whom were recently detained, while others are serving prison sentences.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have repeatedly arrested and imprisoned journalists and media workers. Taliban Authorities have issued more than 20 directives regulating media activity, content approval, and access to information. These measures have contributed to the near-collapse of what was once a vibrant media sector, with dozens of outlets shut down or silenced and hundreds of journalists forced into exile or hiding.
Afghanistan ranked 175th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, placing it among the worst globally.
The recent detentions and threats have raised growing concerns among media rights organizations, which warn that continued restrictions on journalists could further shrink Afghanistan’s already limited press freedom space and deepen challenges for independent reporting across the country.
