KABUL: The Taliban detained two staffers of leading Afghan broadcaster TOLO news, media reports said on Friday.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan called for the release of the TOLOnews media workers, saying it is time for a constructive dialogue with the country's media community.
"Deepening concern tonight in Afghanistan over credible reports of further arbitrary detentions by the Taliban of @Tolonews reporters. The UN urges the release of all those taken away by gunmen and an end to the intimidation and threats against journalists and independent media," said United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a tweet.
The UNAMA also said that it is "Time for the Taliban to stop gagging & banning. Time for a constructive dialogue with the Afghan media community."
The situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August last year.
Earlier this month, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Taliban authorities have carried out far-reaching censorship and violence against Afghan media in the district and provincial centers.
According to the rights group, the situation facing journalists outside Kabul appears much worse than inside the capital, particularly for women.
Journalists in the provinces have described Taliban members as threatening, detaining, and beating them and their colleagues who were trying to report the news, the HRW said.
Many journalists have felt compelled to self-censor and report only Taliban statements and official events. Women journalists have faced the most intense repression.