Journalists speak for the first time after being brutally beaten by Taliban

The photos that circulate on the internet show two journalists from the Etilaatroz newspaper with bruises following their arrest in the capital, Kabul.

One of them, Taqi Daryabi, told the BBC that he was sent to a district police station where he was kicked and beaten.

On Wednesday, the BBC team also held back from shooting.

Daryabi, along with Etilaatroz's photo, Nematullah Nackdi, had covered a women's protest in Kabul on Wednesday.

Then they were sent to a police station, where they say they were beaten with sticks, electric cables, and whips. A few hours later, they were released from the Taliban without explanation.

“They took me to another room and put the cuffs “, he told BBC in Kabul. I decided not to defend myself because I thought I would be beaten worse, so I lay on the floor in a position to protect the front of my body”.

The eight of them came and started beating me... using sticks, whatever they had in their hands”.

I was unconscious after that, so they stopped. I was taken to another building where my cells were located and left me. ”

Daryabi said he had fallen unconscious after the beating and that after about two hours he had been released.

I could barely walk, but they were telling us to walk fast. I had so much pain. ”

Nematullah Nackdi said that Taliban fighters had tried to take his camera once he started taking pictures of the protest.

One of the Taliban put my foot on my head, hit my face to the concrete. They hit me head ... I thought I was going to be killed”, Nackdi told the AFP news agency.

He asked why they were beating him, just to say: “You're lucky you didn't get your heads cut off”.

The CPJ, an international non-governmental organisation, said at least 14 journalists were arrested and later released during the past two days, broadcast Klankosova.tv.

The Taliban are quickly testifying that earlier promises to allow Afghanistan's independent media to continue to act freely and safely are worthless,” said Steven Butler, co-ordinator of the CPJ's Asia programme.

“We urge the Taliban to follow through on previous promises, stop beating and stopping journalists who do their jobs and let the media work freely without fear of punishment”.