CPJ calls upon Taliban to immediately release journalist amid crackdown on local media News
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CPJ calls upon Taliban to immediately release journalist amid crackdown on local media

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called upon Taliban authorities for the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Mohammed Ibrahim Mohtaj on Monday. Mohtaj is the third journalist to be arrested in Kandahar, Afghanistan in the past month as the Taliban authorities crack down further on local media workers and journalists.

Mohtaj, a radio presenter for Kandahar radio station Millat Zagh, was reportedly detained by Taliban agents of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MPVPV) while leaving his office on July 27. Mohtaj’s family allegedly did not receive information on his detention.

CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi said:

Taliban officials must immediately release Mohammed Ibrahim Mohtaj and stop arbitrary detentions of journalists and media workers … Afghanistan’s notorious morality police must not exacerbate a media crackdown that has been a hallmark of Taliban rule or heighten fears among Afghan journalists.

According to Afghanistan International, journalism has been increasingly suppressed under Taliban rule. Local media workers and journalists reported that they are unable to broadcast or publish without Taliban approval.

Afghanistan Journalists Centre’s recorded 60 reported threats against journalists and 29 reported arrests of journalists since the Taliban came into power in 2021. Culture journalist Sayed Rahim Saeedi was previously detained on July 14 by Taliban agents for unknown reasons.

According to an annual report published this month by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the expanding role of the MPVPV in more areas of public life such as the media and the unpredictability of its enforcement measures contributed to an increased climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans. The report stated that encroachments on human rights under the de facto leadership were disproportionately felt by women. The report also noted that the MPVPV seemingly attempted to increase the discipline of ministry personnel. However, these efforts were hindered by the current lack of accountability of its staff.

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