The Taliban have aggressively targeted media freedom and journalists over the past three years. They have banned photography and filming, mandated pro-Taliban reporting, used violence against journalists and media staff, carried out arrests, imposed severe censorship, threatened to shut down media institutions, and exploited journalists’ vulnerable status. These actions have turned Afghanistan into a nation without voice or image. Many journalists believe that most Taliban officials, especially their leader, intend to render society “deaf and blind,” stifling Afghan voices and images in the media and abroad. According to these journalists, the ban on photography and live broadcasts pushes Afghanistan toward silence and blindness, with a two-month deadline requiring visual media to convert to audio-only, putting the country at risk of complete invisibility. Although distressed by the total ban on visual media, some journalists continue their work, now fearing complete job loss.
Over the past three years, the Taliban have systematically dismantled freedom of expression and access to information, creating an environment of suppression and intense censorship for media outlets and journalists. Journalists are barred from publishing anything the group deems critical or oppositional. Despite repeated claims of upholding freedom of expression and information, the Taliban have aggressively enforced censorship and restrictions, silencing independent and free media activities. Many journalists in Afghanistan report being reduced to mere “Taliban spokespersons.” They say that any report critical of the Taliban invites harsh reprimands from the group.
During this time, the Taliban have also banned foreign television shows and music broadcasts and restricted political programming to fit their guidelines. All media outlets must record political programs before airing them and may release them only with approval from Taliban agencies, ensuring that no criticism of the Taliban regime appears. Some journalists consider restricted information access one of the largest obstacles to information-sharing in Afghanistan. They allege that the Taliban alter casualty figures in incidents to prevent accurate reporting. These journalists have voiced concern over the Taliban’s latest order to convert visual media to audio-only, warning that it will lead to widespread unemployment for journalists.
Adrina Behnaz (a pseudonym), a journalist working under Taliban rule, cites the lack of timely information access as a major challenge. She reports that the Taliban manipulate casualty numbers, forcing journalists to rely on Taliban-provided figures. She adds that no one may publish or share details of incidents unless Taliban agencies verify the events. Behnaz highlights the Taliban’s mandate to turn visual media into audio-only, noting that media outlets are already reducing staff, which she finds troubling. She fears, “We might eventually witness women completely housebound and excluded from all fields, dreading a day when I see no women in journalism.”
Karim (a pseudonym), another journalist, remarks on the Taliban’s suppression and photography ban, asserting that the group wants Afghanistan to be “deaf and blind.” He believes recent Taliban actions indicate that Afghanistan is on the brink of complete “blindness and deafness.” He notes the exodus of Afghan YouTubers to Pakistan and Iran, symbolizing the country’s stifling silence and invisibility. While many YouTubers previously served as Taliban propaganda tools, they are now rejected by the group and face the shutdown of their channels.
Recently, Mohammad Sadeq Enqelabi, the Taliban’s deputy governor in Kandahar, met with media officials and instructed them to serve as part of the group’s propaganda apparatus. He told media outlets to defend the Taliban against Western countries, aligning with Taliban interests. Enqelabi claimed, “The infidel world, after suffering a humiliating defeat in physical warfare, has turned to an information war.” He described the media as the “Taliban’s defensive force” and urged them to counter “enemy propaganda” and become “part of the Taliban’s propaganda system.”
Extending their ban on photography and filming, the Taliban have barred students and media staff in universities across Parwan, Ghazni, and Khost from any form of image capture. However, photography and filmmaking are essential components of journalism education, with practical projects being crucial for journalism graduates. Previously, the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Higher Education removed all images and videos of living beings from its website.
Earlier, in a meeting with media officials in Kandahar, the Taliban gave private television stations a two-month deadline to convert their broadcasts to audio-only. This meeting focused on banning images of living beings and included Taliban officials and private media representatives. According to sources, Taliban officials informed private media managers that those who defy this directive would be forced to cease operations.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) reported that the Taliban temporarily shut down the local radio station “Gharghasht Radio” in Khost Province for playing background music during a program, though it resumed broadcasting a day later. The organization condemned the shutdown as a violation of media rights and expressed concern over escalating restrictions in Khost. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s head of information and culture in Khost warned that any media outlet disregarding these directives would face unprecedented consequences. Local journalists in Khost stated that the Taliban obtained commitments from this station’s managers to follow Taliban policies.
The AFJC also released a statement noting that from August 15, 2021, to August 15, 2024, at least 447 incidents of violations against journalists and media workers were documented, including three deaths, dozens of threats and violent incidents, and over 220 arrests. The organization urged the Taliban to seek justice for victimized journalists, abolish the unprecedented restrictions on media freedom, and respect journalists’ and media’s fundamental rights.
This journalist advocacy organization also voiced concerns for Afghan journalists in exile, now residing in Pakistan, Iran, and India. Their statement read, “We believe that if Afghan journalists in exile are deprived of basic rights, unable to work professionally, and forced to live in fear, uncertainty, and deprivation in Iran, Pakistan, and certain other regional countries, these constitute grave crimes against journalists.”
Reporters Without Borders, in its annual report several months ago, ranked Afghanistan near the bottom in global press freedom, placing it 178th out of 180 countries. In a statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the U.S. Embassy for Afghanistan expressed alarm at the threats, violence, and intimidation faced by journalists. The embassy called for ensuring journalists’ safety and protecting them from these acts, emphasizing, “Those who risk their lives to reveal the truth must be safeguarded.”
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
رسانهها از عینک هبتالله؛ افغانستان در چندقدمی کوری و کری قرار دارد | روزنامه ۸صبح
