KABUL(National Times)- Afghan authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested two Afghan journalists from leading private channel TOLO News, with media rights groups calling for their release.

TOLO News said in a post on X on Sunday that two of their journalists, Imran Danish and Mansoor Niazi, had been detained in Kabul.

“Security officials, in talks with TOLO News, have said that details on this matter will be shared after the relevant legal procedures,” the media outlet said.

The information and culture ministry said that “a few days ago, two TOLO News journalists were arrested by security agencies”.

“Their case is under investigation. The court has not ruled yet,” ministry spokesman Khobaib Ghofran said in a statement, without specifying the reasons for their arrest.

Advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists, in an X post on Tuesday, called on Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release the detained journalists and ensure the press can operate without interference”.

Afghanistan Media Support Organisation, a local watchdog, expressed “deep concerns” over the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday, deploring the lack of “precise information… regarding the reasons for their arrests or their whereabouts”.

“The arrest of Mr Danish and Mr Niazi demonstrates that there are no guarantees for the safety of journalists and media outlets,” the group said.

“Even media organisations that attempt to adapt their activities to the current environment are still not safe from arbitrary arrests and pressure.”