Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has included Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, on its annual list of “Enemies of Press Freedom,” alongside 32 other individuals and entities.
The organisation published a list of 33 individuals and entities designated as “Enemies of Press Freedom” on Monday, November 2, marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
The list includes Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, owner of X, and Meta.
The organisation says these individuals target press freedom through various methods, including spreading misleading propaganda, insulting journalists, imprisoning them and even killing them.
Reporters Without Borders has divided the list into five categories: political, security, legal, economic and social.
The organisation has placed the Taliban Supreme Leader in the political category of the list and stated that:
Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, restrictions on media outlets and journalists in Afghanistan have increased.
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, has imposed widespread restrictions on media activities through numerous decrees and directives.
Reporters Without Borders previously reported that 43 per cent of Afghanistan’s media outlets had ceased operations during the first three months of Taliban rule.
More than two-thirds of the country’s 12,000 journalists and media workers abandoned their professions. In addition, eight out of every 10 women journalists were forced out of work.
In August 2026, the organisation reported that the Taliban had issued more than 20 directives and a series of local decrees to restrict media activities.
The Taliban’s Law for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has also restricted the publication of images of living beings and the broadcasting of women’s voices.
According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Afghanistan has dropped 53 places, ranking 175th among 180 countries.
