CPJ Concerned about the Fate of Detained Japanese Journalist - 2001-11-02

A U-S advocacy group says it is very concerned over last month's detention of a Japanese journalist by Afghanistan's ruling Taleban.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday freelance journalist Daigen Yanagida was arrested in Asadabad - near the border with Pakistan - on October 22nd on suspicion of illegal entry into Afghanistan.

The group says Mr. Yanagida and other journalists who enter Afghanistan are taking extraordinary risks to report on the United States' fight against terrorism in the country.

The advocacy group's executive director says, by arresting journalists, the Taleban is blocking objective information about conditions in Afghanistan from reaching the outside world.