The Afghanistan Journalists Center has reported that the Taliban intelligence has detained Ehsan Akbari, a journalist from Japan’s Kyodo News, in Kabul.
The organization has urged the Taliban to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Akbari.
On Sunday, January 21st, the Afghanistan Journalists Center issued a statement, calling on the Taliban to put an end to the suppression of journalists and free media.
A family member of Ehsan Akbari informed the Afghan Journalists Center that Mr. Akbari was arrested on Wednesday in Kabul.
Syed Amir Akbari, Ehsan Akbari’s brother, stated that after summoning the journalist to their information and media center, the Taliban intelligence detained him. They also confiscated Mr. Akbari’s laptop and camera from Kyodo’s office in Kabul the following day.
Mr. Akbari said, “The Taliban forced him to call his home and hand over his mobile phone to intelligence personnel who were waiting behind the gates.”
There is currently no information available regarding Mr. Akbari’s well-being in Taliban custody.
Ehsan Akbari had been working as a journalist at Kyodo News agency’s office in Kabul for approximately a year.
This marks the third instance of journalists being detained by the Taliban in the past week, which has been widely reported in the media.
In the latest incident on Thursday, January 28th, Taliban intelligence detained and subsequently released journalists Jawad Rassouli and Abdul Haq Hamidi from the “Gardesh-e-Etilaat News Agency” within two days.
The Center emphasized that the widespread detention of journalists has heightened fear and self-censorship among journalists and free media outlets.
The organization also noted that in the year 2023, a total of 168 cases of violations of journalists’ rights were recorded in Afghanistan, with 61 of them involving the detention of journalists.
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