The Taliban have released two journalists of Afghan broadcaster Ariana News, who had recently been detained, media report citing Ariana News chief Sharif Hassanyar said on Wednesday.
On Monday, Hassanyar posted on Twitter saying that Aslam Ejab and Waris Hasrat had been detained by the movement "in a horrific manner" for unknown reasons. The United Nations urged the Taliban to make public the reasons for the detention, Sputnik reported.
"Finally TB release Aslam Ejab and Waris Hasrat," Hassanyar posted on Twitter.
Earliar, senior correspondent at Iran International News, Tajuden Soroush, said the journalists from Ariana TV, an Afghanistani media network, confirmed the arrest of two of their journalists by the Taliban.
Taking to Twitter, Tajuden Soroush said, "Ariana TV journalists confirmed me that today Taliban arrested Wares Hasrat and Aslam Hejab, two @ArianaNews_ journalists. Taliban didn't say why they arrested them but last night in one of the Ariana TV's program, a guest criticised the Taliban and their behaver."
Notably, The Free Speech Hub, an organization supporting open media in Afghanistan, in a statement said that the two reporters--Aslam Hejab and Waris Hasrat--were arrested by the Taliban on Monday and so far the reasons for their arrest remain unknown.
Furthermore, the European Union, Amnesty International and UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have called upon the Taliban to provide information about the case of two Ariana News reporters.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International said that the arrest of the two journalists was "unjustifiable" and called on the Islamic Emirate to release them."Such escalating attacks on media freedom are a grave threat to the right to freedom of expression. The Taliban must unconditionally and immediately release them," Amnesty International said in a tweet.
The EU ambassador to Afghanistan, Andreas von Brandt, also reacted to the arrest of the journalists. "Still hard to grasp why those you claim to work for justice and better governance don't respect journalists working to improve transparency, governance and justice in Afghanistan," he tweeted.
( With inputs from ANI )
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