The Afghanistan Journalists Center says Taliban justice ministry forces have shut down the Voice of Afghan (Ava) news agency and the Tabyan cultural center in Kabul.
According to the center, citing informed sources, Taliban justice ministry forces closed the offices of Ava and Tabyan in Kabul's Dasht-e Barchi area last Thursday, September 24.
The center said that on Saturday, Ava reporter Zamen Ali Chawoshi and five Tabyan staff members were summoned to the Taliban justice ministry and detained after arriving there.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center strongly condemned the closure and the detention of the reporter, calling on the Taliban to release him immediately and unconditionally. It also demanded the reopening of Ava and the freedom for its staff to work without threats or fear of arrest.
Tabyan and Ava are run by Seyed Isa Hosseini Mazari, who has repeatedly voiced support for Taliban policies in his speeches. It remains unclear why the Taliban shut down a media outlet and cultural center linked to him, and the justice ministry has not commented.
The closures come as the Taliban have shut down several religious and educational centers, as well as a health clinic, in Shiite-populated areas of Kabul in recent days.
Source: Afghanistan Journalists Center
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