Pakistani journalists detained by Taliban in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., September 3, 2021–Taliban leaders must instruct their fighters to immediately cease detaining and harassing journalists in Afghanistan and allow the media to operate freely and without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 25, Taliban fighters detained Abdul Mateen Achakzai and Muhammad Ali, a reporter and…
As staff flee, TOLO News vows to keep broadcasting from Afghanistan – for now
Saad Mohseni had a lot to worry about when the Taliban rolled into Kabul on August 15. Mohseni is CEO of the Moby Group, which owns and operates Afghanistan’s biggest news and entertainment networks, TOLO News and TOLO TV. The company’s 400 employees would have to adapt one way or another to the nation’s new,…
Taliban fighters beat and whip journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 26, 2021– The Taliban must immediately cease using violence against journalists and allow them to cover the critical news from Afghanistan freely and without fear, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Yesterday at approximately 10:30 a.m., Taliban fighters assaulted Ziar Khan Yaad, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster TOLO News,…
Taliban raids homes of 2 more journalists in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2021 – The Taliban must immediately cease raiding the homes of journalists and allow the media to operate freely and openly without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17 and 20, Taliban militants raided the homes of at least two members of the…
G-7 must protect and evacuate journalists and media workers in Afghanistan
New York, August 23, 2021– As the G-7 leading industrial nations prepare to hold an emergency virtual summit to address the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists today joined more than 50 civil society organizations in calling on G-7 leaders to prioritize and take immediate action to guarantee safe harbor to Afghan…
Taliban take 2 female state TV anchors off-air in Afghanistan, beat at least 2 journalists
August 19, 2021, Washington, D.C. — The Taliban must immediately cease harassing and attacking journalists for their work, allow women journalists to broadcast the news, and permit the media to operate freely and independently, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since August 15, members of the Taliban have barred at least two female journalists…
‘Complex, fast changing, and extraordinarily dangerous’: PBS’ Jane Ferguson on the ground in Kabul
Jane Ferguson, a correspondent for PBS NewsHour and contributor to The New Yorker magazine, landed in Kabul on August 15, just as the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was collapsing and the Taliban began to enter the city. Ferguson told CPJ that covering the swift and unexpected changing of the guard in Kabul is…
Afghan female journalist: I may not be alive by the time US can evacuate me
Steven Butler describes it as “mass panic.” As the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator has been fielding “hundreds and hundreds” of daily pleas from journalists asking for help to flee the country. Butler, along with CPJ Asia research associate Sonali Dhawan and the organization’s Emergencies team, are now in the process…
Taliban militants raid homes of at least 4 media workers in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C., August 18, 2021 — The Taliban must immediately cease attacking journalists and searching their homes, and allow members of the press to operate freely and without fear of violence or reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since the Taliban took power in the country earlier this week, militants have searched the…
US must protect Afghan journalists as Taliban take power
Hundreds seek assistance, relocation amid threat from militant group New York, August 16, 2021 – The United States must do more to ensure the safety of Afghan journalists as the country falls under the control of the Taliban, including facilitating safe passage out of the country and providing emergency visas, the Committee to Protect Journalists…