On March 18, National Journalists‘ Day is celebrated in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC) has released its annual report on this occasion, which has revealed a doubling of violence against journalists and a decline in media freedom in the country.
The annual report of the AFJC, published on Saturday, indicates that in 2022, the working environment of journalists and media has been significantly restricted in Afghanistan.
According to this report, 237 incidents of violations of journalists‘ rights, including threats, arrests, and violent treatment, have been recorded this year.
This statistic indicates that there has been a twofold increase in incidents of violence and threats against journalists in 2021 compared to the previous year, although no murders have been reported.
According to the AFJC report, over the past 12 months, 8 cases of physical violence or assault against journalists have been documented, with 4 of these incidents occurring in Kabul and one incident each in the provinces of Balkh, Samangan, Nangarhar, Badghis, and Zabul.
This year, 94 cases of temporary arrests of journalists have been documented, with Kabul having the highest number at 49.
The findings of this organization demonstrate that the Taliban‘s intelligence and the Ministry of Virtue of this group have been directly and indirectly involved in the arrest, intimidation, and restriction of journalists‘ freedom of the media.
Once the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan, there have been significant restrictions placed on the activities of journalists and media in the country.
