Taliban official and bodyguards beat, detain journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi
New York, December 14, 2021—The Taliban must immediately and thoroughly investigate the beating and detention of journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi and ensure that members of the press can operate freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 11, the director of the Taliban-controlled Kabul Directorate of Refugee Affairs, Abdul Matin Rahimzai,…
Journalists shot, beaten, and detained in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., November 2, 2021– The Taliban must thoroughly and swiftly investigate the attacks on Afghan journalists Abdul Khaliq Hussaini and Alireza Sharifi and the beating and detention of Zahidullah Husainkhil, and do everything in its power to ensure the safety of members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October…
Taliban fighter beats freelance journalist Sadaqat Ghorzang at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing
Washington, D.C., October 25, 2021– The Taliban must thoroughly investigate the beating of Sadaqat Ghorzang, ensure its forces do not attack members of the press, and commit to allowing the media to operate freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday, a Taliban fighter patrolling the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and…
Taliban fighters assault at least 3 journalists covering women’s protest in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., October 21, 2021 — The Taliban must thoroughly investigate attacks on journalists covering a protest today in Kabul and ensure that members of the press can cover issues of public interest without fear of assault and harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, Taliban fighters assaulted at least three journalists covering…
Gunmen forcibly enter office of Salam Watandar broadcaster in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., September 30, 2021 — The Taliban must thoroughly and impartially investigate the recent harassment of the privately owned radio broadcaster Salam Watandar, and commit to allowing the media to operate freely and openly, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 26, two armed men forcibly entered Salam Watandar’s office in Kabul,…
‘A lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear’: CPJ’s María Salazar Ferro on evacuating Afghan journalists
In Afghanistan, the situation is worsening for local journalists as Taliban fighters attack and detain journalists in the field and news outlets are shuttering amid restrictions and economic woes, according to local TV station TOLO News. As The New York Times has reported new details about the Biden administration’s mixed record on evacuating journalists, CPJ…
Afghan journalist Mohammad Ali Ahmadi shot and injured in Kabul
Washington, D.C., September 22, 2021 — The Taliban must conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into the shooting of Mohammad Ali Ahmadi and hold the perpetrator to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 18, an unidentified man shot Ahmadi, a reporter and editor with the privately owned national radio broadcaster Salam…
Afghan photographer Morteza Samadi detained by Taliban since September 7
Washington, D.C., September 13, 2021 — The Taliban must immediately and unconditionally release freelance photographer Morteza Samadi and commit to allowing the media to operate freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 7, Taliban fighters detained Samadi after he covered a protest in the western city of Herat, according to…
‘Be patient and prevent despair’: An exiled Syrian journalist’s advice for fleeing Afghan reporters
Syrian journalist Okba Mohammad was 20 years old when he arrived in Spain after fleeing the Syrian civil war with CPJ’s help in May 2019. “I felt that everything around me was strange: the people, the country, religion, culture,” he told CPJ in a recent interview via messaging app. But he also felt a sense…