Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's deputy minister of culture and information, wrote on social media the journalists were detained for not having the proper documents. Once their identities were confirmed, Mujahid said the two were let go.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's deputy minister of culture and information, wrote on social media the journalists were detained for not having the proper documents that identified them as workers with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Once their identities were confirmed, Mujahid said the two were let go, according to a translation provided by the Associated Press.
"We are relieved to confirm the release in Kabul of the two journalists on assignment with UNHCR, and the Afghan nationals working with them," UNHCR wrote on Twitter."We are grateful to all who expressed concern and offered help. We remain committed to the people of Afghanistan." We are relieved to confirm the release in Kabul of the two journalists on assignment with UNHCR, and the Afghan nationals working with them.We remain committed to the people of Afghanistan.
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency February 11, 2022 The Committee to Protect Journalists identified one of the journalists held by the Taliban as Andrew North, a former BBC reporter on assignment for the UNHCR. An unidentified U.N. official in Kabul told CPJ that North was detained Tuesday. The second journalist was not identified.
Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, described the Taliban holding the two journalists as"a sad reflection of the overall decline of press freedom and increasing attacks on journalists under Taliban rule." He said North and other journalists should be allowed to continue their work and that the Taliban"must halt its repeated attacks on and harassment of journalists."The U.N.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Brits, American detained by Afghanistan's TalibanAfghan Taliban detains several British citizens and an American, including a former freelance TV journalist who has been coming to Afghanistan for decades
Read more »
HPD releases body-worn camera footage of man's shooting deathHPD says it's clear Charion Lockett fired first but the 27-year-old's family said he did not, and claim that footage released does not back up the agency's story.
Read more »
Variety Wins 26 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, With Journalist of the Year Prizes for Tim Gray, Jem AswadVariety won 26 National Art and Entertainment Journalism Awards, including entertainment publication for its 115th anniversary issue “Gamechangers” and two journalist of the year awards…
Read more »
Metro’s prospects rise as omicron fades, but looming financial shortfall will shape serviceThe transit agency is likely to face two obvious but unappealing paths forward: Find financial help or cut service.
Read more »
Fairfax County Public Schools to pay $200K for social media surveillanceFairfax County Public Schools is planning to pay up to $200,000 for social media surveillance services over the next two years, recently released documents show.
Read more »