Taliban’s Crackdown on Media: Government Restricts Free Flow of Information in Afghanistan

The Taliban, by banning three local radio stations in Khost and imposing extensive restrictions on journalists, have hindered the free dissemination of news in Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has expressed concern over the increasing repression of media and its negative effects…

Over the past two weeks, Taliban intelligence services have shut down three local radio stations in Khost province. They stated that broadcasting content without coordination with the intelligence department was the reason for stopping these stations.

The Taliban have imposed new restrictions on Afghan journalists, preventing the free circulation of news in society. These restrictions include summoning and threatening journalists to intelligence offices. Journalists have been instructed not to publish any content in their media without coordinating with the Department of Education and Intelligence.

According to a decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, local officials in Nangarhar have also been prohibited from taking photographs or conducting video interviews with the media. This action is justified under the pretext of enforcing the law on enjoining good and forbidding evil.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has expressed concerns about the expansion of these restrictions and their adverse effects on media and public access to information. The center has reported that the Taliban have left no stone unturned to prevent the free flow of information, with dozens of journalists subjected to harassment, torture, and threats so far.