Since taking power three years ago, the Taliban have unjustly jailed journalists 256 times, according to the United Nations mission to Afghanistan, which asked Afghan authorities to safeguard the media.
The Taliban-led foreign ministry denied having detained that many journalists in a response to the news, adding that those detained had committed a crime.
According to a statement from the U.N. mission (UNAMA) and the U.N. Human Rights Offices, journalists in Afghanistan faced difficult working conditions.
According to Roza Otunbayeva, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special representative, they frequently encounter ambiguous guidelines regarding what they may and cannot report, putting them at danger of intimidation and arbitrary detention for alleged criticism.
We want the de facto authorities to fully acknowledge the significance of women in the media and to guarantee the safety and security of all journalists and media workers as they perform their duties,” she continued.
According to the ministry’s statement, women are still employed in the media, but they must adhere to specific guidelines set down by religious morals, such as covering their faces and working apart from men.
It stated that security forces were striving to protect journalists and characterized the U.N. report as being far from actual conditions. A request for response was not immediately answered by the Afghan information minister.
According to the foreign ministry, detentions occurred in accordance with the law, and the arrest number was inflated.
It listed the violations of those jailed and stated that no one is arrested without cause.
According to the report, these included inciting people to act against the system, slandering the government and spreading unfounded rumors, working with the media to undermine the system, and supplying anti-system content to media outlets.
With the withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban stormed to power in 2021, promising to impose their rigid interpretation of Islamic law and restore order.
No foreign country has formally recognized their authority, and Western officials have stated that the Taliban’s restrictions on women are impeding the process of recognition.
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