Taliban swear to respect freedom of the press. Can anyone believe them?
“We will respect freedom of the press because media reporting will be useful to society and will be able to help correct the leaders’ errors," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement published by RSF. The Taliban regime's unprecedented public statement continues as follows: "Anyway, journalists working for state or privately-owned media are not criminals, and none of them will be prosecuted. In our view, these journalists are civilians and are talented young people who constitute our richness. There will be no threat against them. If journalists have stayed at home in some places, it is because of the war situation. They will soon be able to work as before. We need them to ‘break’ the climate of fear currently reigning in the country.”
Since the Taliban took power in Kabul, they have attempted to portray themselves as progressives to dispel the monstrous image that follows them based on the facts of their past. Now it appears that the Taliban care more than ever before to change the image Westerners have of them. Nobody can foresee what motivation lies behind their strategy of being presented as modest, peaceful leaders. During this time of insecurity, are their calming words and statements intended not to panic further the already panicked Afghan population let down by the West? Do the Taliban pretend to be somebody else to gain Western acceptance? Answers to these questions will come in the coming weeks and months. Currently, no statement from the Taliban regime can be trusted, especially no statement about their respect for freedom of the press.
Approximately 100 media outlets have ceased operations since the Taliban's rapid advance began. According to the RFS, the media outlets still operating are doing so in accordance with the conditions set by the country's new rulers. A radio station in Kandahar already operates under the "Voice of Sharia" name, which was used from 1996 to 2001 by the Taliban's eponymous radio station.
The Taliban's attempt to enhance their image in the international community also reflects the rest of their spokesperson's statement on the future of women journalists. Taliban spokespersons referred to women reporters as Muslims who have been asked to remain home "without stress and without fear" and assured them that "they will return to their jobs" once the new regime "establishes a legal framework for questions of clothing – the use of the hijab – and so that women are not bothered in the street and at their place of work".
Against the reassurances from the Taliban's spokesperson, the exact opposite is expressed by a journalist, identified as Aaisha to protect her privacy, who spoke to the Guardian: "For many years, I worked as a journalist to raise the voice of Afghans, especially Afghan women, but now our identity is being destroyed, and nothing has been done by us to deserve this. (...) In the last 24 hours, our lives have changed, and we have been confined to our homes, and death threatens us at every moment."
Danish Siddiqui, an award-winning photographer for Reuters, was killed last month by the Taliban while covering clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban in Kandahar province. Human Rights Watch reported in April that in addition to the journalists killed on the job, dozens of female journalists have been attacked or forced out of the country in the past year. Journalists outside of major cities face greater risks.
Three young women were gunned down outside a television station in Jalalabad in March of 2021. This attack was claimed by an Islamic State affiliate, highlighting the dangers women journalists face on all sides in addition to the Taliban. The three women were targeted for death following the assassination of Malalai Maiwand, a television journalist, outside the same station in December 2020.
