The Taliban has intensified pressures and restrictions on media and journalists in the past year, according to the media watchdog the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AfJC).
The Taliban’s approach towards media and journalists remains ambiguous and unclear, AfJC said in a statement on Tuesday.
Although Taliban authorities have talked about enforcing media laws, the traditional and religious stance on freedom of expression still dominates, resulting in even harsher restrictions on media and journalists, the AfJC said.
In the past year, the Taliban have issued several new media directives, including banning photography and filming at official events, restricting any phone contact between women and girls with audio and visual media outlets in certain provinces, and other limitations.
There have been 181 documented cases of violations against media and journalists, including 133 cases of threats, 48 arrests of journalists and media staff, and suspension of media activities, according to the statement.
However, the statement said that there have been no reports of targeted attacks against journalists and media outlets in the past year.
In addition to violations of media rights, the economic challenges for media organizations have worsened due to a decline in commercial advertising and increased tax pressures, the AfJC said.
Furthermore, many journalists have been forced to leave the country and migrate to neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran due to difficult working and living conditions, according to the statement.
