KABUL: Four Afghan journalists were arrested by the State Intelligence Office after they returned to the city of Kandahar after reporting trips to the border area recently taken by the Taliban, the Freedom Press Afghan group said Tuesday.
These four have traveled to Spin Boldak to interview the Taliban commander after the rebels seized the borders who crossed there with Pakistan.
An interior ministry spokesman said four were accused of spreading propaganda for the Taliban.
Afghan media watchdog known as Nai said they returned home to Kandahar on Monday and was arrested by the National Security Directorate.
Nai said that the existence of journalists on Tuesday was unknown.
Three of Reporter – Bsimullah Wantandost, Sultani Qudat, and Moheb Obaidi – work for local Mellat Zhagh radio stations.
Fourth was Siam, a cameraman for the Xinhua news agency, said the group.
Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem, with the rebel political office in Qatar, condemned the arrest by “Afghanistan government,” said four it only did their work, trying to “follow the incident and try to reveal the facts.” Nai said the arrest was illegal and demanded direct exemption of journalists.
Then on Tuesday, Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said four had been accused of spreading enemy propaganda.
He insisted that the Kabul government committed to freedom of expression but warned him to comply with the constitution and state law.
“All types of propaganda for the benefit of terrorists and enemies and the national interests of Afghanistan will be counted as a crime,” Stanikzai added.
Journalists work under very difficult conditions in Afghanistan, and often face violence, threats, and intimidation, preventing them from doing their work properly.
The war-hit nation has more than 2,000 official media outlets.
Violence against journalists rose 26% by 2020, compared to 2019, according to the Afghan journalist safety committee, which recorded 132 threats and acts of violence against journalists and media workers last year.