Afghanistan has been considered as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. In its latest report, the Reporters Without Borders has assessed Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Russia as the most dangerous countries to be a journalist.
In Afghanistan, where once freedom of expression was considered as the most valuable achievement of the past 20 years, has now been under immense suppression as the current Taliban government has restricted their movements.
It has been said that even the Taliban check the headline of news bulletins of local tv stations before they start their broadcast.
A reporter speaking to Harici from Kabul, said that he has been working in a local tv station for five years and recently he tweeted about poverty in Afghanistan. “After the tweet, I received a call from a Taliban official and ordered me to remove the tweet,” he said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that the Taliban had established a committee to observe the local media outlets and other Afghan journalists active in YouTube.
The media watchdog also reported that free media in Afghanistan have faced severe suppression and the Taliban continue arresting journalists on charges of espionage.
The Reporters Without Borders also documented at least 21 cases of journalist arrests in Afghanistan in 2023, stating that three journalists are still under the captivity of the Taliban.
Three journalists are still under the captivity of Taliban
The report said that countries like Vietnam, Russia and Afghanistan are at the top of the list of the countries that are dangerous for journalists due to their strict environments such as intolerance toward freedom of expression and insecurity as well as unacceptance of revealing critical content.
At least 779 journalists have been detained for at least a short period of time, according to the report, in which among them 547 journalists are still in prison in various countries worldwide.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AJC) had also stated in its annual report on the situation of Afghan journalists in 2023, stating that they have recorded 168 cases of violations of journalist’s rights in the country.
One reporter was killed and 19 journalists were wounded, according to the AJC report, while it also recorded 78 cases of threats and 61 cases of arrest of journalists in 2023.
Meanwhile, AJC said that the record cases of violation of the rights of journalists shows a decrease compared to 260 events recorded in 2022.
A Kabul-based journalist, Rasul Khalili said that journalists should lodge a complaint through commission of media violation and inform the authority in case there is any serious issue. He also called on the Taliban leadership to investigate all cases of violence against journalists and urged them to provide a safe environment to carry their jobs.
Journalists are not a target
“Journalists are civilians. We are ordinary people. Journalists’ work is to connect people to the government and convey people’s problems to the government. We are just servants of society. We help the government to get to know what is happening in the society,” he said.
He also called on the Taliban to increase access to information and urged the leadership to help improve the economic situation of the media organizations.
Meanwhile, the Taliban rejected AJC’s report and said that detention of the journalists has not been due to their media related activities.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that no media has been restricted or come under any sort of pressure and claimed that all media outlets are operating actively and freely in Afghanistan.
He said that some cases happened in 2023 and that was due to violations. “There was some arrest of journalists for some criminal activities or legal cases. These detentions were temporary and it has never been permanently,” he added.
At least 220 media organizations were closed since the return of the Taliban to power on 15 August 2021. At the same time around 86 TV channels, 257 radio stations and 46 printing media organizations are currently active in Afghanistan.
Taliban institutions, including the Intelligence Directorate and the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, execute restrictive orders. The establishment of a commission to address complaints and violations by the media has not yielded tangible success and, in some instances, contributed to violations of journalists’ and media rights, , according to the AJC report.
Media watchdog asks cancellation of extralegal media guidelines
The AJC called on the Taliban to cease serious violations of journalists and media rights in the country. They urge the cancellation of extralegal media guidelines, the enforcement of media laws, and the previous government’s access to information law.
This report comes at a time when the Taliban, since their takeover, has imposed significant restrictions on the work of journalists and media, leading to the detention, beating, and imprisonment of journalists. In the latest incident, the group sentenced Sultan-Ali Jawadi, the editor-in-chief of Radio Nasim in Daikundi, to one year in prison on charges of “propagating against the system and working for foreign media.
