February 17, 2024
Kabul - Mansoor Nekmal, Editor-in-Chief of the Khaama Press news agency in Kabul, was arrested today after being summoned to the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue. The Afghanistan Journalists Center is deeply concerned about Nekmal's arrest and is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Khushnoud Nabizada, the owner of Khaama Press, told AFJC that on Thursday (February 15), Mansoor Nekmal was summoned by a person who introduced himself as the spokesperson of the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue in connection with the publication of their recent report on the Hijab issue. He said, "Nekmal went to the Ministry of Vice and Virtue at around 11:00 on Saturday from the office of Khaama Press in Kabul’s fourth district, but after that, we were not informed of his fate and we believe that he has been arrested." Nabizada added that the spokesperson of the Ministry of Vice and Virtue has said that Khaama Press has ignored the instructions of the Ministry for publishing a report about the decrease in the presence of women in Kabul’s streets following the recent arrests of a number of girls by the Taliban due to the hijab issue. In this report, while mentioning the concern of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Rina Amiri, who is currently the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, several young women who covered their faces with masks were also interviewed regarding the recent arrest of women for the hijab issue in Kabul.
Mansoor Nekmal has served as the editor in chief of Khaama Press in Kabul for approximately two years.
AFJC is expressing serious concerns about Nekmal's detainment and is urging the authorities at the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue to release him immediately and without conditions. AFJC is also calling on the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue to respect media laws and allow journalists to work within the legal framework.
This latest arrest is part of a concerning pattern of journalist detentions in recent weeks. Saifullah Karimi of Pajhwok News Agency was arrested in Samangan Province on February 10 after being called to the governor's office. on January 18, journalists Ahmad Jawad Rasooli and Abdulhaq Hamidi from Gardesh-e-Etilaat News Agency were arrested, followed by Ehsan Akbari from Kyodo News on January 17, all detained by the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) in Kabul. Rasooli and Hamidi were released after two days, and Akbari was released after nine days in custody.