The Afghanistan Media Support Organization has announced that the Taliban detained a female journalist and her cameraman colleague for covering Ashura commemorations in Kabul. The organization also expressed concern over the growing restrictions imposed on journalists and media outlets during coverage of the religious observance.
In a statement released on Friday, June 26, the organization said the female journalist was arrested for working alongside a cameraman who was not a mahram (a male relative whom she is not permitted to marry under Islamic law). She was subsequently transferred to a security district in Kabul.
According to the organization, both the journalist and her colleague remained in custody until the evening before being released through the mediation of their media organization’s management and their family members.
For security reasons, the organization has withheld the identities of the female journalist, the cameraman, and the media outlet they work for.
The Afghanistan Media Support Organization described the detention as a clear violation of freedom of expression and the right to access information, asserting that the Taliban had deliberately sought to obstruct media coverage of Ashura commemorations.
The statement concluded by emphasizing that covering religious and cultural events is a fundamental professional responsibility of the media and that journalists must be able to carry out this duty free from restrictions, intimidation, or undue pressure.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
