New York, May 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to immediately and unconditionally release two journalists from TOLOnews and end the harassment of media workers following a raid on the broadcaster and its parent company, Moby Group.
Taliban intelligence agents detained TOLOnews presenter Mansoor Niazi on May 7 in the capital, Kabul, according to multiple news reports. Two days later, authorities detained political editor Imran Danish near the network’s office.
On May 10, shortly after TOLOnews reported the detentions on social media, dozens of Taliban intelligence officers raided Moby Group’s office in Kabul. Armed personnel confiscated employees’ phones, questioned staff for several hours, and placed staff under surveillance, according to sources cited in news reports.
“The Taliban’s detention of Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish, followed by a sweeping raid on a major independent media organization, underscores the climate of fear facing journalists in Afghanistan,” said CPJ Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator Kunal Majumder. “Taliban authorities must immediately and unconditionally release the detained journalists and ensure the press can operate without interference.”
Taliban intelligence agents also took control of Niazi’s social media account following his detention and posted messages suggesting he was at home, raising concerns about coercion, reported London-based television station Afghanistan International.
Taliban authorities have not publicly commented on the reason for the raid or the detentions.
Taliban Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat did not reply to CPJ’s text messages requesting comment.
Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have decimated Afghanistan’s independent media sector and supplanted it with their own propaganda empire. Taliban authorities have arrested a number of journalists reporting for exiled media and forced hundreds to flee to neighboring countries.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2026-05-12T10:06:32+00:00) Taliban raids TOLOnews office in Afghanistan after detaining 2 journalists . Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2026/05/12/taliban-raids-tolonews-office-in-afghanistan-after-detaining-2-journalists/
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