KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has announced it will cancel the operating licenses of several organizations that support media and journalists in Afghanistan.
In a statement released on Monday (January 26), the ministry said it will only renew the licenses of three such organizations, without specifying which ones would continue operating and which would be shut down.
The ministry claimed that the large number of media-support organizations in the country has not resolved journalists’ problems, and has, in fact, contributed to increasing them.
Since retaking power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed strict restrictions on journalists and media outlets, limiting press freedom across the country.
Many well-established media support organizations have either ceased operations in Afghanistan or relocated their work abroad following the Taliban’s return, further shrinking the space for independent reporting.
In a related example, journalist Mahdi Ansari, 27, was arrested by Taliban intelligence in Kabul in October 2024 and later sentenced to 18 months in prison for spreading “anti-Taliban propaganda.” Human rights and press freedom organizations have condemned the arrest and trial as unfair. His case highlights the growing risks for Afghan reporters and the shrinking space for independent journalism.
