Journalist rights organisations have condemned the abuse of an Afghan reporter allegedly at the hands of foreign forces, and the censorship of the Afghan government towards the media.
The organisations spoke out on Wednesday against the Bagram prison detainment of Habiburrahman Ibrahimi, a Kabul-based journalist at Berakhlik Weekly, and accused the Ministry of Information and Culture of threatening the media.
"We condemn the violence carried out against the journalists," said Zia Bomia, Head of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) in Afghanistan.
Habiburrahman said at the Wednesday gathering that he was detained by foreign forces a month ago and was held at Bagram for two weeks.
"I was beaten by foreign forces for no reason in front of my family. They have taken some money from me too," he said.
"Afghanistan National Journalists Union and other journalists' rights organisations condemn the beating and detainment of a journalist by foreign forces," Abdulhamid Mubarez, Head of Afghanistan's National Journalists Union.
Members of the organisations blamed the government for carelessness towards cases of journalists who have faced violence.
Head of Afghanistan's Independent Journalists Association Khpulwak Safi accused the Afghan government of onerous censorship and pressuring TV channels into submission.
"It has been seen recently that the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Complaints and Violation of Media Commission are somehow seeking to threaten the TV channels," he said.