Afghanistan media centre condemns detention of 12 journalists in Khost
The Afghanistan Journalists Centre has said 12 journalists were detained in Khost province by morality enforcers from the Taliban administration’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice while covering a book fair, an incident the group says is a sign of continued pressure on the media and restrictions on journalism.
In a statement on Tuesday, 17 September, the group said the journalists were taking photographs and conducting interviews at the fair in Khost city that morning when the Taliban morality enforcers stopped them from working and then transferred them in a humiliating manner and on foot to the department of vice and virtue.
According to the statement, the journalists’ equipment was also confiscated by the enforcers and has not yet been returned. The Afghanistan Journalists Centre condemned the treatment and described it as a clear violation of media freedom.
Citing a source, the group added that the provincial governor and other local Taliban officials in Khost are aware of the incident, but no practical action has yet been taken to support the detained journalists.
According to the Afghanistan Journalists Centre, the detention of the 12 journalists is linked to the Taliban administration’s proposal to ban the publication of images of living beings, a restriction that has raised widespread concern among media outlets and journalists in recent months.
Since the Taliban returned to power, dozens of media outlets in Afghanistan have shut down and journalists in different parts of the country have faced growing pressure, restrictions and threats. The Afghanistan Journalists Centre is an organisation that supports media freedom and journalists in the country and documents and follows up on violations of media rights.
