Picture: File photo
Kabul: Afghan authorities said Tuesday they had arrested two Afghan journalists from leading private channel TOLOnews, with media rights groups calling for their release.
TOLOnews said in a post on X on Sunday that two of their journalists, Imran Danish and Mansoor Niazi, had been detained in Kabul.
"Security officials, in talks with TOLOnews, have said that details on this matter will be shared after the relevant legal procedures," the media outlet said.
The information and culture ministry said that "a few days ago, two TOLOnews journalists were arrested by security agencies".
"Their case is under investigation. The court has not ruled yet," ministry spokesman Khobaib Ghofran said in a statement, without specifying the reasons for their arrest.
Advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists, in an X post on Tuesday, called on Afghanistan's Taliban authorities to "immediately and unconditionally release the detained journalists and ensure the press can operate without interference".
Afghanistan Media Support Organisation, a local watchdog, expressed "deep concerns" over the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday, deploring the lack of "precise information... regarding the reasons for their arrests or their whereabouts".
"The arrest of Mr Danish and Mr Niazi demonstrates that there are no guarantees for the safety of journalists and media outlets," the group said.
"Even media organisations that attempt to adapt their activities to the current environment are still not safe from arbitrary arrests and pressure."
According to the Afghan watchdog, six other journalists are currently detained by the Taliban authorities.
"In the absence of... clearly defined charges, the detention of Mansoor Niazi, Imran Danish and the other six imprisoned journalists must end immediately," it said.
Afghanistan ranks 175 on 180 on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.
