The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture on Tuesday confirmed the detention of Mansour Niazi and عمران دانش, two journalists from TOLOnews.
In a statement, the ministry said the cases involving the two journalists are currently under review and that no Taliban court has yet issued a ruling regarding them.
The Taliban did not specify the reasons for the arrests.
TOLOnews had previously confirmed on Sunday that its journalists had been detained.
The network said Taliban authorities informed its management that further details about the case would be shared after “legal procedures” were completed.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture also stressed that no court verdict has been issued against the two journalists and claimed that some media reports regarding the case were inaccurate.
The detentions come amid continued concern from media-support organizations over increasing pressure on journalists and shrinking media freedoms in Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center had earlier reported that several journalists and media activists were recently detained or threatened by the Taliban.
Media experts say the continued detention of journalists, combined with a lack of transparency about their legal status and whereabouts, is raising fears about the future of independent journalism in Afghanistan.
Analysts also note that uncertainty surrounding arrests and prolonged ambiguity in legal procedures can function as a broader mechanism of pressure on media organizations, encouraging self-censorship and deepening insecurity among journalists.
