Lynne O’Donnell is an internationally acclaimed war journalist.
Kabul:
Foreign policy writer Lynne O’Donnell was detained by the Taliban for columns accusing them of forcibly marrying teenage girls and using teenage girls as sex slaves.
The terror group forced the writer to issue a public withdrawal after keeping her locked up for 3 days, Khaama Press reported.
Lynne O’Donnell, an Australian writer who currently writes a column for Foreign Policy magazine, tweeted: “I apologize for three or four reports written by me accusing the current authorities of forcibly marrying teenage girls. and teenage girls as sex slaves by Taliban commanders.”
Notably, O’Donnell was forced to apologize by the Taliban, she revealed in a statement on Wednesday.
“Twitter an apology or go to jail, Taliban intelligence said,” she tweeted. “Whatever it takes, they dictated. I tweeted. They didn’t like it. Deleted, edited, retweeted. Made a video where I said I wasn’t forced. Did that again,” she said.
Tweet an apology or go to jail, said #Taliban intelligence. Whatever it takes, they dictated. I tweeted. They didn’t like it. Deleted, edited, retweeted. Made a video where I said I wasn’t forced. Did that again.#TwoTakesTaliban (I’m gone now) #Afghanistan#journalism
— Lynne O’Donnell (@lynnekodonnell) July 20, 2022
The agents disapproved of her coverage of LGBTQ individuals, claiming there were “no gays” in the country, the journalist added.
Lynne is an internationally acclaimed war journalist who has reported occasionally from Afghanistan for over 20 years. However, after her alleged detention, harassment and threats, she left the war-ravaged country for Pakistan on Wednesday, Khaama Press reported.
O’Donnell was the head of the Afghanistan bureau for the Agence France-Presse wire service and the Associated Press between 2009 and 2017, according to her biography on the Foreign Policy website.
However, the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture and intelligence services have not yet commented on the matter.
The Taliban’s atrocities against Afghan women have steadily increased since the group took power in Afghanistan last August.
The Taliban had previously promised an inclusive society and equality at their first press conference after the takeover of Afghanistan, while on March 23 they barred girls from going to school after sixth grade and a decree against the women’s dress code was issued after a month. .
There are restrictions on women’s movement, education and freedom of expression that threaten their very existence.
According to locals, the Taliban have prevented women from using smartphones, and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs often extorts money to provide essential protection.
About 80 percent of women who work in media have lost their jobs, and nearly 18 million women in the country are fighting for health, education and social rights.
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