VIDEO: Afghan TV anchor tells residents 'don't be afraid' as Taliban fighters stand behind him with guns



With Taliban fighters standing behind him brandishing guns, an Afghan news anchor nervously urged viewers over the weekend not to be "afraid" amid the fall of the Afghan government and the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The bizarre scene demonstrates the danger that Afghan journalists are likely to face under Taliban rule and foreshadows the end of journalistic freedom in the country.

What happened?

Armed Taliban militants stormed into the building of Afghan television network Peace Studio during a live recording on Sunday, proceeding to hold the anchor hostage while he granted favorable coverage to the new regime, Republic World reported.

"Don't be afraid," the anchor reportedly said during the broadcast.

"With the Taliban militants breathing down his neck, the TV anchor addressed the news bulletin, talking about the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani-led government and the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the news outlet reported. "Visibly afraid and uncomfortable, the presenter then went on to tell the nation to not be scared of the Taliban."

Video of the incident has since gone viral, having been viewed more than one million times on social media.

Afghanistan TV - surreal This is what a political debate now looks like on Afghan TV, Taliban foot soldiers watch… https://t.co/htlNQvcjqW

— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) 1630262717.0

"Afghanistan TV - surreal," tweeted BBC World News anchor Yalda Hakim along with a video of the incident.

"This is what a political debate now looks like on Afghan TV, Taliban foot soldiers watching over the host," she added. "The presenter talks about the collapse of the Ghani govt & says the Islamic Emirate says the Afghan people should not be afraid."

A subsequent photo posted on Twitter by Afghan journalist Zaki Daryabi shows that at least eight Taliban fighters were involved in the news station storming.

This is what @Etilaatroz can’t accept. If so, we will stop our work. https://t.co/FueAC4c9cz

— Zaki Daryabi (@ZDaryabi) 1630259162.0

This is what [we] can't accept," she tweeted along with the image. "If so, we will stop our work."

What else?

Amid its takeover of Afghanistan in recent weeks, Taliban leaders promised a "lenient" government and "amnesty" for individuals who worked with Western governments and organizations over the last 20 years of U.S. military occupation.

But their promises have been empty ones. In reality, Taliban fighters have been "hunting down" journalists and persecuting women and religious minorities, including Christians.

The bloodthirsty militants reportedly murdered the relative of an Afghan journalist partnered with German news outlet Deutsche Welle last week. They also killed a 33-year-old Afghan who had translated for U.S. Special Forces and who worked with newspaper Die Zeit.

Republic World added that "the Taliban barred two women journalists ... who worked with the public broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan" and "also attacked two other members of the press for covering the anti-Taliban protests taking place in the eastern Nangarhar province."

Their actions have reportedly caused many journalists and activists to flee the nation in fear.

WATCH: Afghanistan TV Anchor Surrounded By Armed Taliban Fighters on TV | Republic TV www.youtube.com

Authorities arrest Apple Daily senior editor, other journalists in Hong Kong under Beijing-imposed national security law



National security police in Hong Kong have arrested a former senior editor and two other employees of the Apple Daily, the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper that was raided by authorities and forced to close last month.

Former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung was detained by authorities Wednesday under suspicion of "collusion with foreign forces" under the territory's new national security law, the South China Morning Post reported.

Two other employees, Chan Pui-man, former associate publisher of the paper, and ex-senior editorial writer Fung Wai-kong, were also detained by authorities Wednesday on similar allegations. The new arrests bring the total number of former Apple Daily employees detained since last month to at least eight.

The arrests follow the enactment of a Beijing-imposed national security law intended to quash pro-democracy forces in the once autonomous city. The wide-ranging law outlaws "foreign interference" and criminalizes any form of secession from or subversion of the power and authority of the central government as well as any collusion with external forces.

Pro-democracy activists in the city have warned that the new law means "the end of Hong Kong" and "the end of one country, two systems." In response to its enactment, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally declared last year that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from China.

In June, authorities in Hong Kong raided the offices of Apple Daily arresting five company executives and freezing millions of dollars in assets, forcing the popular newspaper's closure. The paper sold roughly 1 million copies of its last physical issue.

Apple Daily reported on the massive pro-democracy protests that rocked the city starting in 2019 and had become a leading critic of Beijing and Hong Kong leadership.

Following Wednesday's arrests, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung stated that police would continue pursuing anyone suspected of committing an offense, regardless of profession.

"We have the obligation to arrest and prosecute them if they have violated the law," he said, according to the South China Morning Post. "I will not comment further as the case still needs further investigation."

The Hong Kong Journalists Association, on the other hand, reportedly expressed shock and dismay at the arrests, heralding freedom of the press as the "cornerstone of an international city."

"The association urges the government not to keep arresting journalists in the name of national security in a bid to create white terror in the field," it added.