In 2023, the rights of journalists in Afghanistan were violated at least 168 times, marking a significant decrease of 36% compared to the previous year, when there were 260 reported violations. These statistics were provided by the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC).
Human cost
The human cost of these violations was severe. One journalist, Hosein Naderi from AVA Press, was killed as a result of an IS terrorist attack in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 11.
In addition, 19 journalists were injured, 61 were arrested, and 87 received threats.
Impact on media outlets
The impact on media outlets was also significant. Five media outlets temporarily suspended work, and the Taliban revoked the licenses of three outlets, including two websites and one radio station. Since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has lost 40% of its media houses and 60% of its journalists overall. This is corroborated by a report from the International Federation of Journalists, which states that 318 of the 623 media outlets registered in 33 Afghan provinces shut down.
Taliban’s restrictions
The Taliban imposed numerous restrictions on the media:
- They insisted on being referred to as the Afghan government.
- They prohibited communication with the opposition.
- They banned coverage of protests.
- They required approval of all materials from the Taliban, including advertising.
- They forbade interviews with the opposite sex.
- They banned the broadcast of music.
- They disallowed men and women from working together.
- They removed women from films, entertainment shows, and radio in Helmand, and obliged presenters to cover their faces.
Taliban authorities carried out extensive censorship and violence against Afghan media in Kabul and provinces. Hundreds of media outlets were shut down and an estimated 80% of women journalists across Afghanistan lost their jobs or left the profession since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
The Taliban’s Directorate of Intelligence engaged in a pattern of threats, intimidation, and violence against members of the media, and were responsible for targeted killings of journalists. Authorities also banned outlets in Afghanistan from broadcasting international news programs, including Voice of America and the BBC, in Dari, Pashto, and Uzbek languages. Journalists covering women’s rights protests faced particular abuse. The Taliban also shut down the websites of two media outlets.
Access to information has become very limited in Afghanistan and many provinces. The Taliban ordered journalists to not report on a wide range of issues. Several journalists were beaten for trying to report on anti-Taliban protests, arbitrary detention, rising food prices, and other subjects the Taliban authorities deemed too critical.
The Taliban have used various measures to silence media in Afghanistan, ranging from establishing restrictive guidelines to sending intelligence officials to meet with media staff and forcing media workers to confess to crimes.
The Taliban’s media restrictions have been particularly devastating for women journalists, who typically have had to work harder than their male counterparts to establish their careers in media in the face of sexism and security risks.
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