Amnesty International, UN condemn Taliban crackdown on Afghan journalism
Press freedom advocates and the United Nations have criticized Afghanistan's Taliban for allegedly banning a journalist organization from holding news conferences without the permission of the ruling Islamist group.
“Blocking the media from holding a press conference is a disturbing restriction on free expression,” the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan tweeted. “The Taliban are urged to support dialogue among Afghans and not to try and gag those they think may have different views.”
The Afghanistan Federation of Journalists and Media had planned to attend a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday to share results of a survey on media workers and journalists in the country, but Taliban authorities forced them to cancel the event.
The Taliban have also verbally instructed Ali Asghar Akbarzada, a senior leader of the federation, to refrain from holding any future press conferences without first obtaining the Ministry of Information and Culture's permission.
Amnesty International denounced attempts by the Taliban to limit access to information and suppress free media as "a blatant attack" on journalism.
The Taliban's action was denounced as a violation of the group's pledge of respect for free expression by local media monitor, Free Speech Hub.
The Taliban's spokesman, Bilal Karimi, rejected claims that they were imposing restrictions on freedom of expression. Karimi told VOA that a network of journalists and media is already working in Kabul without commenting directly on whether the Taliban blocked the media advocacy group's press conference.
The Taliban vowed last August to protect media freedom.
Critics allege, however, that under the Taliban rule, media freedom and violence have worsened, citing increasing incidents of violence, harassment, and torture against media workers.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), almost 40% of media outlets in Afghanistan have disappeared since the Taliban took over the country, and the number of female journalists has dropped to over 80%.
In addition, hundreds of journalists have been forced to leave Afghanistan for fear of reprisals from the Taliban or due to difficulties practicing their profession.
As of August 15, when the Taliban seized control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, more than 6,400 journalists and media staff had lost their jobs, according to the survey.
* This article contains information sourced from VOA.
