KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Journalists Centre says it has recorded 207 cases of violations of media freedom and violence against journalists during the 1404 solar year (2025).
The organization released its annual report on the “state of media freedom in Afghanistan” on Wednesday, 18 March, marking National Journalist Day.
According to the report, the documented incidents include the killing of two journalists, the injury of one journalist, 183 cases of threats against journalists and media outlets, and 21 arrests of journalists and media workers.
The report also highlights a broader trend, noting that since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, nearly 800 cases of media rights violations have been recorded, including killings, detentions, and threats. It adds that at least 21 media outlets were shut down or suspended over the past year, reflecting growing pressure on independent media.
The center noted that the number of violations in 2025 shows an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year. In 2024, a total of 172 incidents were recorded, including 122 threats and 50 arrests of journalists.
In its report, the Afghanistan Journalists Center said that over the past 12 months, pressure from the de facto authorities (the Taliban) has led to increased censorship and repression. It cited forced confessions by detained journalists, restrictions on female journalists attending official press conferences, and the muting of women’s voices in live broadcasts as examples of what it described as a policy of fear, suppression, and severe gender discrimination unprecedented in the country.
According to the report, multiple institutions, including intelligence bodies and the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, play a significant role in controlling the media landscape, often operating beyond formal legal frameworks. Journalists who fail to comply with imposed directives have reportedly faced threats, detention, and temporary or permanent bans on their work.
The report further outlines systematic restrictions on media content, including bans on covering protests, limitations on topics considered contrary to Islamic values, and directives on language use and terminology in reporting.
The report also highlighted worsening financial conditions for media outlets, noting that already limited sources of revenue—such as advertising, sponsored programming, and international aid—have significantly declined.
As a result, many media organizations have been forced to reduce staff, cut programming, or operate intermittently, particularly in the provinces where smaller outlets have been hardest hit.
It added that the impact has been particularly severe on smaller provincial outlets, some of which have suspended operations or only resume work intermittently when they secure advertisements or project funding.
Despite these challenges, the report states that the Taliban have used formal and informal structures to turn state and affiliated media into tools of propaganda.
According to the center, Taliban authorities are simultaneously suppressing independent media and restricting access to information, while managing complex and often opaque systems to promote a “single narrative” and discredit independent journalists.
The organization warned that this trend has led to an unprecedented weakening of independent media and freedom of expression, forcing many journalists to leave the country.
Expressing deep concern over the intensifying crackdown on media freedom and censorship, the Afghanistan Journalists Center cautioned about its consequences for the health and future of society. It called on the Taliban to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of journalists and media workers, allowing them to operate without fear or intimidation.
Freedom of the press was once considered a key achievement under the former Western-backed government. However, since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed wide-ranging restrictions on media activities, repeatedly detaining journalists and shutting down outlets.
The group has also banned the publication of images of living beings under its “vice and virtue” law. As a result, visual media in more than 20 provinces have either ceased operations or converted into radio outlets.
Human Rights Watch called on international actors to hold the Taliban accountable for human rights abuses and to ensure protection for Afghanistan’s minority communities, journalists, and activists.
Afghanistan now ranks 175th out of 180 countries on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, just above Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Eritrea. Over half of the country’s media outlets have closed. Many journalists have fled or gone into hiding. Women face even tighter restrictions, including a ban on broadcasting female voices in some provinces.
