MoI arrest local journalists on propaganda charges

The Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) said Tuesday that security forces have arrested four journalists in southern Kandahar province.

The reporters of Kandahar’s local radio station, Nation Vice [Millat Ghag], were arrested after they visited the Taliban-captured Spin Boldak on Monday for covering news from the area.

Mirwais Stanekzai, a spokesman for the MoI, says that the journalists were propagandizing in favor of the Taliban.

Stanekzai, however, stated that the Afghan government is committed to freedom of expression.

He noted that the Afghan constitution has also set limitations and that anyone who propagandizing “in favor of the enemy and terrorists and against the national interest of Afghanistan” is breaching the law.

According to Stanekzai, the case of the journalists is well documented and the security agencies will conduct further investigations under the law.

Meanwhile, the government claimed that the Taliban militants have started massacres and targeted killings after the takeover of the Spin Boldak district.

Reports indicated that the Taliban have allegedly killed relatives of former Kandahar Police Chief General Abdul Raziq, who was assassinated in 2018.

The Taliban, however, rejected the report and had invited the media outlets in Spin Boldak to document the facts regarding the massacre allegation.

Although the government had barred the journalists from visiting the Spin Boldak, three reporters from Nation Voice [Millat Ghag] radio, Bismillah Watandost, Qudratullah Sultani, and Mohibullah Obaidi, and a cameraman of Xinhua had visited the Taliban controlled area.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has expressed its concerns over the detention of the reporters in Kandahar.

“We are concerned about the detention of four journalists in Kandahar by National Security Directorate since yesterday. These journalists were returning from Spin Boldak district after investigating civilian casualties. We call for their release,” Amnesty International said in a tweet.

In the meantime, the Afghanistan journalist safety committee (AJSC) has also called on the government to provide thorough information about the arrest, emphasizing that any media violation needs to be handled in accordance with the Afghan laws.

“No extra judiciary detention is acceptable,” AJSC said.