RSF slams Taliban for grilling, arresting journalists

KABUL (Pajhwok): Reporters without Borders (RSF) has slammed increasing interrogations and arbitrary arrests of Afghan journalists over the past two months While the government stressed over the implementation of Media Law to eliminate barriers in the way of media activities.

The Paris-based watchdog alleged the Taliban intelligence agency known as “Istikhbarat” and the Ministry for Promoting Virtue and Suppressing Vice were directly implicated in this harassment, which violated Afghanistan’s press law.

The latest of the many journalists to be detained include Aslam Hijab, a business reporter for the privately-owned Ariana News TV channel.

He was arrested outside his workplace on 31 January. When his colleague, Waris Hassrat, tried to protest, he was also arrested. Both were taken away by intelligence officers to an unknown destination and were held for 48 hours before being released.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, at least 50 journalists and media workers have been detained by the police or Istikhbarat.

The heads of four privately-owned TV channels – Tolo TV, TV1, Ariana News and Shamshad – were summoned to the Ministry of Information and Culture a few weeks later, on December 16 and 22.

The purpose of these meetings with Istikhbarat representatives from the and the Ministry for Promoting Virtue and Suppressing Vice in attendance was to warn them to adhere strictly to the November 22 decree.

The TV channel bosses were forced, under pressure, to agree to implement the decree, the watchdog claimed.

RSF insisted the decree was violative of the media law that was promulgated in March 2015 and is still officially in effect.

When questioned by RSF, government spokesman and deputy information minister Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the law was still in effect,

He verified the law did not prevent women from working as journalists, and that no ministry or entity should intervene in journalists’ activities.

According to the RSF statement, Mujahid also announced the imminent creation of a “Commission for Verifying Media Offences.”

The situation is all the more confusing for journalists because the directives concerning them are coming from a variety of sources.

As well has being pressured by various ministries and the Istikhbarat, the media must also follow orders from the Government Media and Information Centre.

On January 29, it recalled, the GMIC issued recommendations for “all media in Afghanistan” that in essence confirmed the 11 rules for the media announced on September 19.

These announcements helped to further weaken the Ministry of Information and Culture’s role with regard to the media, which are nevertheless officially placed under its authority.

Afghanistan is ranked 122nd out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index which RSF issued in April 2021.

pr/nh/mud