Media Freedom In Afghanistan Continues To Deteriorate
Three months after Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had revealed in a survey last December the Taliban takeover’s impact on Afghanistan’s media has been dramatic, the situation has only exacerbated.
A survey by RSF and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) had shown a radical change in the Afghan media landscape since the Taliban took power.
A total of 231 media outlets were reported closed and more than 6,400 journalists had lost their jobs since 15 August. Women journalists have been hit hardest, with four out of five no longer working. More than four out of every ten media outlets have disappeared and 60 per cent of journalists and media employees are no longer able to work.
Following recent incidents of censorship in Afghanistan, the United States on Tuesday expressed concern over the latest series of restrictions imposed on Afghan media by the Taliban and urged the group to cease infringements, including the education and human rights of the Afghan people.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the US is committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, to operate freely without fear of violence against them.
On Sunday, the Taliban banned British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA) broadcast services in Afghanistan. The ban is the latest in a series of restrictions the Islamist group has imposed on Afghan media to stifle freedom of expression since taking control of the country last August.
“The United States is committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, to operate freely without fear of violence against them,” added Price.
The US statement further said the international community are paying close attention to the Taliban’s actions inside Afghanistan, and “it is with alarm and deep concern we learned of the Taliban’s decision to stifle the Afghan people’s access to independent, objective, international media sources.” (ANI)
