Afghanistan media under attack and censorship

Since August 2021, hundreds of Afghan journalists have had to quit their jobs, because of fear of Taliban’s arbitrary detentions. Dozens of local journalists live in hiding in Afghanistan and are unable to work. Taliban arrested and whipped journalists who criticize Taliban’s rule.

Many female journalists have been asked to stop working and those who did not stop have been arrested and are still the prison. A number of male reporters in Kabul say they face restrictions in what they can report or they have been beaten by Taliban forces. 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in its latest report expressed concern over what it called « arbitrary detentions » of Afghan journalists by the Islamic Emirate. 

“An estimated 1,000 journalists have fled the country since last August, with threats, harsh restrictions and economic collapse leading to mass closures of media outlets,” the IFJ’s report.

At the same time the Free Afghanistan Journalists Association has announced the closure of 300 media outlets and the dismissal of nearly 6,000 journalists and media workers across the country since Taliban took over the power.

Journalists are missing every week

Abdul Hanan Mohammadi, a journalist in the province of Kapisa central-eastern Afghanistan, has been missing since June 12th, according to his relatives. Family members of Mohammadi said he left his home with friends on Sunday morning in Hisa-e-Awal district of Kapisa. Since then, they have no information about Mohammadi.

Different media-supporting organizations called Taliban for answers about the disappearing journalists.

This comes as the Reporters Without Borders in a recent report called for the creation of the Commission on Media Violation (CMV), saying that the commission could prevent arbitrary detentions.