AMSO condemns closure of AvaPress and detention of its staff
The Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) has condemned the Taliban administration’s suspension of the Afghan Voice Agency (Awa) and the arrest of several of its employees, and has called for their release. There is still no clear information about the detainees’ place of detention, their condition, or the legal grounds for their arrest.
In a statement published on Wednesday, 8 Mehr, the organization said the arrest of media workers and restrictions on media activity limit public access to information and freedom of expression. AMSO urged the Taliban administration to release the detained Awa staff and provide clear information about their condition and whereabouts.
AMSO added that shutting down a news agency and arresting its staff is a restriction that goes beyond one media outlet and affects the free operation of the media, access to information, and freedom of expression in Afghanistan. The organization also called on the United Nations, human rights bodies and freedom of expression groups to follow up on the situation of detained media workers in Afghanistan.
The Taliban administration last Thursday halted the activities of Awa’s office in western Kabul, arrested several of the outlet’s employees and transferred them to an unknown location.
