Today’s United Nations report on the state of Afghanistan’s media is devastating.
Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, they have largely destroyed Afghanistan’s media landscape, creating such a climate of fear that Afghan journalists cannot genuinely investigate or report. The Taliban have detained and tortured journalists, severely limited what the media can report, and worked directly in newsrooms to suppress any critical content.
The report, produced by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), documents numerous occasions in which journalists were detained for either trying to report on events or for publishing or airing reports that included criticism of Taliban policies. For example, in August 2023, the Taliban’s intelligence agency arrested at least seven journalists across the country for allegedly providing information to “diaspora media” abroad. The UN documented 256 instances of arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists and media workers since the Taliban takeover.
Additionally, Afghanistan’s media are also required to seek approval from the authorities prior to publishing a report and are subjected to other forms of censorship. Media cannot publish on topics that could “have a negative impact on public opinion or could weaken people’s morale.”
The Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index lists Afghanistan as one of the worst countries in the world for press freedom and journalist safety. The 2024 index ranks Afghanistan near the very bottom, 178 out of a total 180 countries, with only Syria and Eritrea coming in lower. This represents a significant drop from Afghanistan’s ranking of 118 in 2018.
Before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had over 500 media outlets. By November 2021, almost half of those were gone, due to a loss of donor funding, tightening Taliban restrictions, and the flight of many journalists abroad.
Today, men and women must work in segregated workspaces. The report finds that radio stations managed and staffed by women continue to operate, but women are forbidden from calling into radio programs, and in some provinces women’s voices cannot be broadcast. Women journalists are often either not invited or not allowed to attend press conferences, and officials often refuse to be interviewed by women.
The UN report demonstrates the importance of monitoring the conditions for Afghanistan’s media and supporting Afghan journalists, both in-country and abroad, so they can continue their vital work.
