KABUL: Human Rights Watch has exposed the severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the growing repression of journalists under the Afghan Taliban regime.
According to the report, since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have systematically dismantled media freedom in Afghanistan, silencing dissenting voices and punishing even mild criticism. Journalists face arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, torture, and enforced disappearances for their reporting.
The report highlights that the Taliban have completely erased dramas, music, and women’s voices from the media landscape. Female journalists are subjected to discriminatory bans, effectively pushing them out of the profession. The number of male journalists has dropped from 4,000 to 2,000, while female journalists have declined sharply from 1,400 to just 600.
Human Rights Watch further revealed that the Taliban’s intelligence agencies and the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue conduct raids on media offices to inspect content and enforce censorship. Afghan media outlets have been instructed that reporting on public grievances or government failures will be treated as “propaganda against the state.”
The Taliban also force journalists to produce pre-approved stories that align with the regime’s narrative. Many detained reporters are only released after signing written pledges not to practice journalism again.
Due to the Taliban’s oppressive restrictions, around 60 percent of media organizations in Afghanistan have shut down.
Human Rights Watch has urged the Taliban to end violence against journalists, lift censorship, and revoke discriminatory policies against women. The United Nations and Amnesty International have also called on the Taliban to restore press freedom and respect human rights.
Experts warn that the Taliban’s authoritarian policies pose not only a grave threat to human rights but also to regional stability and peace.
