KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban have imposed a new set of media restrictions in Kandahar province, including a total ban on women’s voices and the mandatory use of honorific titles for the group’s supreme leader, according to a media watchdog.
The Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC) revealed in a statement that the Taliban’s Directorate of Information and Culture in Kandahar issued the directive on March 17, further tightening its grip on press freedoms in the region.
The new rules prohibit local radio stations from airing women’s voices in any form, including entertainment programs. Outlets must also refer to the Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, as “His Excellency, Amir al-Mu’minin, may God protect him,” and use “Islamic Emirate” when mentioning the regime.
Additionally, the directive bans advertisements for medicines, cosmetics, and healthcare services unless pre-approved by health authorities. Journalists must now obtain formal permission before traveling to districts within Kandahar for reporting.
The AFJC warned that the new restrictions mark an escalation of Taliban efforts to suppress independent media in Kandahar, where only 11 radio stations remain operational.
“This is a clear intensification of media suppression in a province already grappling with unlawful constraints,” the watchdog said, adding that growing censorship and financial difficulties are threatening the survival of local media in the region.
The AFJC urged the Taliban to reconsider the psychological impact of silencing free expression, warning that the continued crackdown on press freedoms would have serious consequences for Afghan society.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have severely restricted Afghanistan’s media, issuing over 20 directives limiting press freedom and access to information. Dozens of journalists and media workers have been arrested, tortured, or killed in recent years.
The crackdown has forced the closure of more than half of Afghanistan’s media outlets, including state-run TV stations. The Afghanistan Journalists’ Support Organization (AJSO) reported that only 13 of the country’s 91 print newspapers, 68 of 248 TV channels, and 211 of 438 radio stations remain operational, with many outlets shutting down or relocating abroad.
