NAI in Exile, an organization supporting Afghan journalists, has expressed concern over the recent arrest of several journalists by the Taliban.
In a statement issued on Monday, 21 Sawr, the organization called on the United Nations and the European Union to intervene immediately to secure their release.
The statement named Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danesh from Tolo News, as well as Javid Niazi, head of the Paykarg News Agency, as the detained individuals.
NAI urged the UN mission and the EU office in Afghanistan to engage with Taliban authorities and facilitate the unconditional release of the journalists.
The organization also stressed that the detention of journalists has become a repeated pattern. It noted that over the past five years, hundreds of journalists and media workers have been arrested, with some still remaining in detention.
Meanwhile, according to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries, marking a drop of 53 places over the past five years.
In recent years, restrictions on media activity and journalism in Afghanistan have increased, with reports of scattered arrests. International organizations have repeatedly called for guarantees of freedom of expression and an end to pressure on the media in the country.
This comes as, in the latest cases, Shakib Ahmad Nazari and Mohammad Bashir Hatef were each sentenced to three and a half years in prison by a Taliban court.