The Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC) says that in 2023, the Afghanistan media landscape observed a noticeable shrinkage, marked by severe restrictions and widespread violations of their fundamental and legal rights.
The report released on Friday, December 29, documented 168 instances of journalists’ rights violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including the death of one journalist, injuries to 19 others, 87 reported threats and 61 documented arrests.
The media watchdog noted that the recorded instances of journalists and media rights violations in 2023 notably decreased compared to the 260 incidents documented in 2022. However, there hasn’t been any noticeable qualitative or structural improvement in media’s access to information or their safety despite the decline in cases recorded.
The Taliban takeover has decimated Afghanistan’s once-thriving media sector, leaving journalists vulnerable to arrest, harassment, and torture. The group who benefited tremendously from the country’s open media space to propagate its counter-narratives as an insurgency, have imposed unprecedented restrictions on media organizations despite an initial promise to allow press freedom. They have shut down dozens of local media outlets, arrested and assaulted reporters, banned some international broadcasters, and denied visas to foreign correspondents.
According to the AFJC report, the Taliban have issued at least 14 directives concerning the media within the last two years, with some being issued in 2023. “These directives encompassed a range of aspects, such as barring women from working in national TV, limiting the coverage of demonstrations and civil protests, and imposing guidelines on news preparation and content,” AFJC said. The report further says that the escalation of pressure on the media and journalists through these directives has led to a dual impact. It has curtailed their freedom and independence while also heightening self-censorship, prompting a shift in media focus towards covering humanitarian and educational events.
Moreover, as per the AFJC’s statement, their findings indicate that the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) and the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are responsible for directly and indirectly suppressing journalists and media across Afghanistan throughout 2023.
Media organizations in Afghanistan have faced an unprecedented level of censorship and repression in the past two years. The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has imposed severe restrictions on media content, prohibiting the broadcast of entertainment programs and closely scrutinizing reporting on sensitive topics such as opium production, military operations, and protests. Journalists who dare to challenge these restrictions risk arrest, detention, and even torture.
Over the past more than two years, nearly half of Afghanistan’s previously vibrant media landscape has either been forced to shut down or relocate their offices abroad due to the Taliban’s strict restrictions and continued pressure. Confronted by ongoing harassment, many journalists have been compelled to resign from their jobs or, in some cases, seek refuge in other countries. A survey by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) counted 547 media outlets operating in the country in early 2021, saying over 50% of media outlets have closed down and many international news broadcasts have been banned. According to the report, more than 80% of female journalists in Afghanistan have been forced to leave their jobs since the Taliban’s return to power.
