Two Afghan-based Journalists Covering Women’s Protest Beaten up by Taliban, Others Debarred From Reporting

A total of two images have surfaced by the verified Twitter handles of Marcus Yam, a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, and another by Etilaatroz, an Afghan news publication.

New Delhi: Two journalists covering the Kabul women’s protest were allegedly detained and severely beaten up by the Taliban security force, an attack precisely on human rights, as said by the Human Rights Watch. Taqi Daryabi and Nemat Nagdi working for the Etilaat-e-Roz, a Kabul-based media outlet, have been extensively covering women protests. The women have been calling for an end to the Taliban regime to their violation of women’s rights in war-torn Afghanistan.

The Taliban officials have arrested the duo journalists and have put them in separate cells as per the Etilaat-e-Roz. A total of two images have been surfaced by the verified Twitter handles of Marcus Yam, a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, and another by Etilaatroz, an Afghan news publication. The tweeted images showed two men stripped to their innerwear while standing with their backs to the camera. Their backs and legs are covered with bruises and red marks similar to that of the belts.

Painful. Afghan journalists from @Etilaatroz, Nemat Naqdi & Taqi Daryabi, display wounds sustained from Taliban torture & beating while in custody after they were arrested for reporting on a women’s rally in #Kabul, #Afghanistan.#JournalismIsNotACrime https://t.co/jt631nRB69 pic.twitter.com/CcIuCy6GVw

— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) September 8, 2021

Attacks on Journalist under the Taliban regime 

According to the afghan publication, the two journalists named Taqi Daryabi, a video editor, and Nemat Nagdi, a reporter was covering a protest led by women in the Kart-e-Char area of western Kabul on September 8. The journalist was abducted, tortured, and taken to different cells. “One of the Taliban put his foot on my head, crushed my face against the concrete. They kicked me in the head… I thought they were going to kill me,” Mr. Naqdi told the news agency AFP. He further told AFP that he was accosted by a Taliban fighter while he started taking photos of the woman rally. The rally led by the women demanded the right to work and education.

“They told me ‘You cannot film’… They arrested all those who were filming and took their phones. The Taliban started insulting me, kicking me,” he said, adding that when he asked why he was being beaten, he was told: “You are lucky you weren’t beheaded”. As per the LA Times, the Taliban have stopped the journalist from capturing the photographs of the protesting women. Meanwhile, The foreign correspondents were forced to leave the area. As per the LA Times report, a total of three journalists were abducted. A local head of Euronews, a pan-European TV network was also abducted. Later, the three journalists were released by the Taliban, however, one was repeatedly slapped.

The history of #Afghanistan journalism always remember the first day of #Taliban cabinet announcement and this photo of @etilaatroz journalists who were tortured by Taliban force.

Photo: @yamphoto pic.twitter.com/xGCebQxAuY

— Zaki Daryabi (@ZDaryabi) September 9, 2021

A TOLO News cameraperson Waheed Ahmady and Ariana News Reporter Sami Jahesh along with the cameraman Samim were arrested on the grounds of covering the protest. An extensive report has been published under the Committee to Protect Journalism(CPJ) which highlights the attacks.

Another Tolo News reporter Ziar Yaad Khan was held by the Taliban at a gunpoint. He was assaulted by the Taliban last month. The Taliban group has killed a relative of a Deutsche Welle Journalist. Earlier, the Taliban has been promising the nations, claiming to abide and respect the freedom of the press, however, the actions have been proving otherwise. A Taliban spokesperson has warned the citizens and journalists neither to stage a protest nor to cover any incident.

At present, Mullah Hasan is head of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body – Rehbari Shura or leadership council – which serves much like a government Cabinet running all the group’s affairs subject to the approval of the top leade