From right: journalists Imran Danish, Mansoor Niazi and Jawid Niazi detained by GDI in Kabul
May 10, 2026
Kabul — The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) strongly condemns the recent wave of arrests and threats against journalists in Afghanistan, which severely undermines media freedom and the rights of journalists to operate freely and safely.
According to credible sources, at least three journalists—Jawid Niazi, a reporter and owner of the private news agency Paigard; Mansoor Niazi; and Imran Danish of ToloNews—have been detained by the de facto General Directorate of Intelligence(GDI) in Kabul. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
Details provided by sources in Kabul indicate that Jawid Niazi was detained on May 6 following a summons to the GDI department. On May 7, Mansoor Niazi was reportedly detained in the Kart-e- 4 area of Kabul. ToloNews has confirmed that Imran Danish has also been detained; however, specific information regarding his detention has not been disclosed. One source reports that Danish was detained last night.
In addition to these arrests, findings from the AFJC reveal that at least three other journalists have been threatened by GDI over the past four days. Due to security concerns, the details of the incidents and identities of these threatened journalists are not being publicly disclosed at this time.
AFJC calls on the Taliban de facto authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all journalists detained for their work. AFJC urges the Taliban to cease all efforts to suppress media freedom, including threats, arrests, and intimidation tactics that undermine the vital role of journalism in Afghan society.
AFJC stated: “Journalists must be able to carry out their work without fear of harassment, intimidation, or detention. Any attempts to silence the press threaten the very foundation of free expression and accountability in Afghanistan.”
Currently, based on data from the AFJC’s Press Freedom Tracker, at least seven journalists are known to be in detention or serving sentences, highlighting the ongoing threats to media professionals in Afghanistan.