November 2nd marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, offering a renewed opportunity to recognize independent, critical journalism as a significant but challenging responsibility, particularly in countries like Afghanistan. This role is vital for fostering freedom of expression, yet it is both dangerous and daunting. Over time, the difficulties facing journalism in Afghanistan have not only persisted but have intensified to such an extent that many have been forced to abandon the profession in search of safer livelihoods. Journalism has long been one of the deadliest professions in Afghanistan. What is novel under the Taliban regime is a new and unprecedented phase of repression and censorship, which deepens and widens with each day of this regime’s rule.
The challenges and hardships for journalists existed even before the Taliban took power; however, the difference now lies in the fact that, previously, there were at least laws and institutions aimed at protecting journalists, as well as international support from countries backing the Afghan government, standing beside the media and journalists. Although these laws were not always enforced as expected, and journalists remained some of the most vulnerable individuals in society, the mere existence of these protections provided some measure of security.
In Afghanistan under Taliban control, however, there is hardly any provision or avenue to safeguard journalists. The ruling regime is a fierce enemy of free expression and the unrestricted flow of information in society. A few organizations still claiming to defend journalists’ rights within Afghanistan have often been accused of prioritizing project funding over confronting the Taliban’s repression. These organizations have repeatedly been accused of compromising and even colluding with the Taliban regime in Kabul. The consistent silence of these organizations in the face of sustained violence against journalists and ongoing impunity for perpetrators suggests that these accusations are not entirely baseless. Consequently, journalists active in Afghanistan under Taliban rule find themselves isolated and defenseless. Even media outlets within the country that employ these journalists show little willingness to support them against the Taliban’s increasing repression.
In some cases, media managers have even sided with the Taliban when dealing with cases of violence against their journalists, unwilling to acknowledge the violence committed against their employees. These managers fear that if they directly implicate the Taliban in incidents of violence against their staff or reveal the truth as it happened, their businesses will face severe risks. Therefore, instead of seeking justice for victimized journalists and holding the Taliban accountable, they have attempted to downplay or dismiss these cases altogether. When faced with the choice between upholding human rights or protecting their business interests, commercial media outlets tend to prioritize the latter. As the name suggests, commercial media are driven to maximize profits and are prepared to sacrifice anything to pursue profit. The reason these internal media have so far adhered to all restrictions imposed by the Taliban and submitted to every regressive demand of this group is solely to sustain their profitable operations in Afghanistan.
Employees in commercial media are granted the same minimal rights and benefits as workers in other commercial organizations. There is no job security in these commercial media organizations; if journalists are detained or imprisoned by the Taliban, they are quickly forgotten and replaced with new journalists. Journalists in Afghanistan work in a climate where they are oppressed and intimidated from two sides. The regime in Kabul does not value journalists or their work and continuously imposes more restrictions to force them into self-censorship. Meanwhile, media outlets as employers fail to properly uphold the basic rights of journalists and provide them with no protection from Taliban oppression.
With each passing day, the Kabul regime imposes more restrictions on reporting, and the wave of repression, intimidation, and censorship has reached such an extreme that journalism has become one of the most frightening, disheartening, and distressing professions in the country. Many who once chose journalism as their preferred career and harbored big dreams have abandoned those dreams, continuing to work in journalism only to earn a meager living. In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, dreaming is forbidden, and one must struggle to survive in the hope of one day escaping this deadly dilemma.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
وضعیت دردآور خبرنگاران در افغانستان زیر کنترل طالبان | روزنامه ۸صبح
