KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International has voiced serious concern over the “arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance” of three journalists by Taliban authorities, demanding clarification on their whereabouts and well-being.
The journalists — Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish, reporters for TOLOnews, and Jawed Niazi, editor of the local Paigard News Agency — were detained in separate incidents in Kabul in recent days, according to the Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC). Their whereabouts remain unknown, and Taliban authorities have not commented on the arrests or provided any explanation for their detention.
AFJC said the arrests were carried out by members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), which has been accused by press freedom groups of targeting journalists over their reporting and media activity.
In a statement posted on X, Amnesty International said the detentions are part of what it described as a broader and continuing pattern of intimidation and reprisals against journalists and media workers in Afghanistan, in violation of international human rights obligations.
“The arbitrary deprivation of liberty and enforced disappearance raise serious concerns about the safety and well-being of those detained, including the risk of torture and other ill-treatment,” the organization said.
Amnesty urged Taliban authorities to immediately disclose the journalists’ fate and whereabouts, ensure their access to legal representation and family contact, and release them unless they are formally charged with recognizable criminal offenses and tried under fair trial standards.
According to the AFJC, in addition to the three detentions, at least three other journalists have received threats from the Taliban intelligence agency in recent days. Citing security concerns, the watchdog has not publicly disclosed the identities or specific details of those threatened individuals.
The watchdog earlier condemned the arrests, calling them an attack on press freedom and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the detained journalists. According to AFJC figures, at least seven journalists are currently detained or serving prison sentences in Afghanistan, highlighting what it described as an expanding crackdown on independent media.
The media environment in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Journalists report facing arrests, censorship, interrogations, and pressure linked to their reporting, online activity, or alleged associations with exiled Afghan media outlets.
The AFJC has documented at least 150 violations of press freedom and incidents of violence against journalists since May 2025, including 127 threats and 20 arrests. Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan 175th out of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, placing it among the worst countries globally for media freedom.
