Don’t be afraid. These were the remarks of an obviously fearful news anchor in Afghanistan. The scared anchor was forced to laud the Taliban with armed men surrounding him.
The incident’s video has gone viral, prompting doubts about the Taliban’s pledge of a free press.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, there are reports of journalists being the targets. It comes after the Taliban announced that the country’s free press would be permissible to operate.
Video of the scared anchor forced to laud Taliban
BBC reporter Kian Sharifi and Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad uploaded the 42-second video on Twitter. It shows a political debate host delivering a Taliban statement with at least eight Taliban members.
An Afghan reporter from Tolo News and his cameraman were pummelling by the Taliban in Kabul a few days ago while reporting in the capital.
Taliban fighters are attacking journalists in Kabul, the Afghan capital, and Jalalabad, also in Nangarhar province.
In the weeks since the Taliban took control of Kabul, Taliban fighters have attacked the houses of journalists and their relatives. Taliban also killed a family member of a reporter for Deutsche Welle (DW), a German news organization.