Amnesty International says the Taliban’s decision to revoke the operating licenses of independent organizations that support media outlets and journalists is part of an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression in Afghanistan and further restricts the working environment for journalists.
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, January 27, Amnesty International called on the Taliban to immediately reverse the decision and ensure that media support organizations can operate freely and without intimidation.
The organization expressed serious concern over the consequences of the move, noting that many of these institutions had already been facing pressure, intimidation, and severe financial difficulties.
According to the statement, suspending the activities of these organizations eliminates some of the last remaining channels of professional, legal, and security support for journalists and independent media operating under extremely restrictive conditions.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has announced that it will revoke the licenses of all media support organizations and journalist advocacy groups except for three.
The Afghanistan Media Center reported that the Taliban have revoked the licenses of at least 10 organizations supporting media and journalists, allowing only the Journalists Safety Committee and two newly established organizations to continue operating.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center also said that most of the organizations whose licenses have been revoked had been operating since the previous government and played a key role in training, supporting, and protecting journalists.
Since regaining power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on Afghanistan’s media and journalists.
