KABUL — The
Taliban have arrested two Afghan
journalists working for a local news channel, rights groups and the UN said
Tuesday, weeks after two women activists went missing.
اضافة اعلان
Since seizing power in August, the hardline
Islamists have cracked down on dissent by detaining critics and forcefully
dispersing protests against their regime.
Several
Afghan journalists have also been
beaten while covering rallies not approved by authorities.
The Afghan Media Association — a newly
formed journalists' rights group — said Ariana TV reporters Waris Hasrat and
Aslam Hijab were picked up by the Taliban on Monday "and taken to an
unknown location".
Without naming the Taliban, an official at
Ariana told AFP the reporters were seized by masked gunmen in front of the
channel's office as they went out for lunch.
But he said Taliban officials "have
assured us of a comprehensive investigation".
The
United Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan (UNAMA) also expressed concern over their whereabouts.
"UN urges Taliban to make public why
they detained these ArianaNews reporters and to respect Afghans' rights,"
it said on Twitter.
Amnesty International, meanwhile, demanded
on Twitter that the Taliban "unconditionally and immediately" release
the pair.
A Taliban spokesman told AFP he had no
information on the missing journalists.
Missing women
A fortnight ago, two women activists went
missing after taking part in a demonstration in Kabul calling for women's
rights.
On Tuesday the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern for them and four of their relatives, who are
also missing.
The Taliban denied knowledge of their
whereabouts, and say they are investigating.
The UN said it was alarmed by what appeared
to be a "pattern of arbitrary arrests ... as well as torture and
ill-treatment" of civil society activists, journalists and members of
former government and security forces.
A UN report this week accused the Taliban
and their allies of killing more than 100 security and civilian personnel
linked to the former US-backed government since returning to power.
Taliban officials have rejected the claims.
Last month, the Taliban detained a
well-known university lecturer and regime critic Faizullah Jalal but released
him days later after a media furor in Afghanistan and abroad.
Despite promising their second time in power
would feature a softer brand of governance, the Taliban have slowly introduced
restrictions on freedoms — especially for women.
Western countries insist the Taliban must
respect women's rights to unlock billions of dollars in assets and foreign aid.
The halting of aid has triggered a
catastrophic humanitarian crisis in a country already devastated by decades of
war.
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