The Afghanistan Journalists Center has announced that Javed Niazi, the owner and managing director of the Paygard news agency, has been released from the Taliban intelligence detention after 63 days in custody. According to the center, he was freed around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, and reunited with his family.<\/p>\n
The center welcomed Niazi\u2019s release but condemned his more than two-month detention as a blatant violation of the human and professional rights of a journalist. Despite the release, no details have been provided regarding the charges against him or how he was cleared, and Taliban officials have remained silent on the matter.<\/p>\n
While Niazi has been freed, the Paygard news agency\u2019s office remains closed and has not been granted permission to resume operations. This situation has heightened concerns about ongoing restrictions on media freedom.<\/p>\n
In its statement, the Afghanistan Journalists Center added that Taliban intelligence forces stormed the Paygard office in Kabul on May 3, coinciding with World Press Freedom Day. The forces reportedly treated journalists harshly and confiscated two computers, three smartphones belonging to the Paygard agency, and phones of three other journalists\u2014including two from private media outlets who were present at the time.<\/p>\n
According to the statement, on April 26, the Taliban intelligence summoned Niazi to collect the confiscated equipment but detained him upon his arrival.<\/p>\n
The Afghanistan Journalists Center has urged the Taliban administration to respect the rights of journalists and media workers, reopen the Paygard news agency without conditions, and promptly return all confiscated equipment belonging to the agency and other journalists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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