300 Afghan reporters suffer rights breaches: UN

.


AFP November 27, 2024
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the country has been experiencing a humanitarian and economic crisis. PHOTO: TWITTER/@Haqmal

print-news
KABUL:

More than 300 Afghan journalists have suffered rights breaches since the Taliban surged back to power in 2021, a UN report said Tuesday, documenting dozens of cases of torture and arbitrary arrest.

Research by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and its Geneva-based Human Rights Office said journalists and media outlets "operate under an environment of censorship". Between the Taliban's return in August 2021 and the end of this September the UN team "documented instances of human rights violations affecting 336 journalists and media workers".

It recounted 256 instances of "arbitrary arrest and detention", 130 of "torture and ill-treatment" and 75 of "threats or intimidation".

UNAMA chief Roza Otunbayeva said journalists "often face unclear rules on what they can and cannot report, running the risk of intimidation and arbitrary detention for perceived criticism".

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ