{"id":43689,"date":"2025-03-14T15:37:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=43689"},"modified":"2025-03-14T15:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:38:14","slug":"afghanistan-the-disturbing-escalating-censorship-suffocating-the-free-press-reporters-without-borders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/afghanistan-the-disturbing-escalating-censorship-suffocating-the-free-press-reporters-without-borders\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghanistan : The disturbing, escalating censorship suffocating the free press : \u00a0Reporters Without Borders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-43691\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RSF-Afghanistan-Journalist-.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RSF-Afghanistan-Journalist-.jpg 500w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RSF-Afghanistan-Journalist--300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RSF-Afghanistan-Journalist--80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>PARIS: Monitoring Desk -The Taliban authorities are tightening their grip on the dissemination of information in Afghanistan. In the month of February alone, political programmes on television were banned, the women\u2019s station Radio Begum was temporarily suspended, and two media workers were arrested.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published a list of the bans currently imposed on the media, which illustrates the Taliban authorities\u2019 strategic muzzling of the press.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On 4 February, the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture\u00a0<u>suspended<\/u>\u00a0the emblematic women\u2019s radio\u00a0<em>Radio Begum<\/em>; the suspension was technically lifted 18 days later, yet the radio\u2019s teams remain barred from accessing the premises, making it impossible to resume broadcasting.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">What\u2019s more, two journalists arrested the day of the ban \u2014 one of the radio\u2019s technical managers and a sports journalist from\u00a0<em>Jawanan Radio<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 are still in custody. The radio station had been accused of \u201cmultiple violations,\u201d including providing content to a television channel based abroad.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"bVVjCRcUxJ\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/rsf-investigation-the-indian-cyber-security-giant-silencing-media-outlets-worldwide\/\">RSF investigation : the Indian cyber-security giant silencing media outlets worldwide<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;RSF investigation : the Indian cyber-security giant silencing media outlets worldwide&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/rsf-investigation-the-indian-cyber-security-giant-silencing-media-outlets-worldwide\/embed\/#?secret=JHm67Pc0NM#?secret=bVVjCRcUxJ\" data-secret=\"bVVjCRcUxJ\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This is just another example of the repression of journalism that has been steadily intensifying since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. RSF has counted over a dozen bans that stifle the circulation of reliable information in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<u>directives issued<\/u>\u00a0by multiple actors, such as the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Ministry of Information and Culture, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, the Taliban spokesperson, and the provincial authorities, have gradually accumulated to strangle press freedom.<\/p>\n<p>I<strong>n 2024 alone,\u00a0<u>12 media outlets were closed<\/u>.<\/strong> According to RSF information, in February, the last television channels in Kabul still active received a verbal warning from the Ministry of Information and Culture prohibiting them from broadcasting political programmes and debates.<\/p>\n<p>According to several RSF sources, this directive extends to economic debates and any discussion critical of the government. To date, the ministry has not made any official statement on the matter.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Sw2VOSF9rl\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/afghanistan-iran-run-weekly-freight-train-between-khaf-and-herat\/\">Afghanistan Iran Run Weekly Freight Train between Khaf and Herat<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Afghanistan Iran Run Weekly Freight Train between Khaf and Herat&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/afghanistan-iran-run-weekly-freight-train-between-khaf-and-herat\/embed\/#?secret=6B9xIXHAGO#?secret=Sw2VOSF9rl\" data-secret=\"Sw2VOSF9rl\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;The Afghan media are suffocating under the weight of relentless censorship. The recent ban on political debates reveals the government&#8217;s clear objective: eliminate all criticism and monopolise the media narrative. To do this, it enforces a series of vague regulations with imprecise provisions that place the media under constant pressure. Their arsenal of legislation is aimed at muzzling journalists, controlling the country&#8217;s image, stifling any attempt to question their governance and imposing their propaganda. RSF calls on the Taliban supreme leader to immediately lift all bans on press freedom and calls on the international community to act against the media repression prevailing in the country.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>C\u00e9lia Mercier<br \/>\nHead of the RSF South Asia Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">RSF monitors and documents all the bans imposed on journalists and the media, which are steadily increasing. Press freedom is now on the brink of extinction in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A directive from September 2021 imposes\u00a0<\/strong><strong><u>11 new rules on journalists<\/u><\/strong>, some of which are vaguely worded, leaving the authorities a wide scope for interpretation in prosecuting journalists \u2014 especially concerning the directive calling for \u201ccaution\u201d when publishing information \u201cwhose authenticity is not known or approved by the authorities.\u201d<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A ban from September 2021 on referring to the de facto Taliban government by any name other than the \u201cIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 forces outlets to recognise the legitimacy of the Taliban regime.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A ban on covering demonstrations<\/strong>\u00a0has been in place since September 2021.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A ban on broadcasting\u00a0<\/strong><strong><u>music programmes<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0has been in place since October 2021.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A ban on interviewing dissidents<\/strong>\u00a0or analysts critical of the regime<u>\u00a0has been in place since November<\/u>\u00a02021.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A strict ban on<\/strong><strong><u>\u00a0criticising the leaders of the Taliban government<\/u><\/strong>, which is considered a violation of Islamic law, has been in place since July 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A ban on broadcasting and publishing\u00a0<\/strong><strong><u>images of living beings<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0according to a new Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice law has been in place since July 2024. This ban is applied to the media in seven provinces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"TZySmjg4lq\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-october-2024\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 October 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 October 2024&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-october-2024\/embed\/#?secret=U51R3SrNuX#?secret=TZySmjg4lq\" data-secret=\"TZySmjg4lq\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Prohibitions targeting women journalists and the presence of women in the information space<\/strong>: women cannot work in the public media, nor can they appear on television without their faces covered. They can no longer work with men or interview or be interviewed by men. In the\u00a0<u>southern province of Helmand<\/u>, female voices are banned on the radio, whether they are presenters or listeners who would like to speak on air. Similarly,\u00a0<u>\u00a0calls from women listeners<\/u>\u00a0to radio stations are banned in the eastern province of Khost.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Obstacles to the work of\u00a0<\/strong><strong><u>media in exile<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0are abundant. Journalists working with media in exile have even been\u00a0<u>arrested<\/u>\u00a0and in May 2024, a ban was placed on<u>\u00a0working with<\/u><u>\u00a0<\/u>the UK-based\u00a0<em>Afghanistan International<\/em>\u00a0channel.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A ban on broadcasting\u00a0<\/strong><strong><u>programmes of<\/u><\/strong><strong>\u00a0foreign media<\/strong>, such as those of the US and UK media\u00a0<em>Voice of America\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>BBC,<\/em>\u00a0has been in place since March 2022.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Political programmes have been censored<\/strong>\u00a0since September 2024 due to a directive requiring these\u00a0<u>programmes to<\/u>\u00a0be recorded before they are broadcast so criticism of the Taliban can be cut out. Guests on political debates must be on a government-approved list. It is forbidden to challenge the laws, policies and decisions of the Taliban government or to criticise its officials without proof. This vaguely worded ban gives the authorities a wide margin of interpretation, allowing them to prosecute journalists at their discretion.<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\"><strong><u>Television stations in Kabul<\/u><\/strong><strong>\u00a0have been completely banned from airing political discussions<\/strong>\u00a0since 12 February 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"NBZUALena2\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-february-2025\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 February 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 February 2025&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-february-2025\/embed\/#?secret=2Z7HVdU0di#?secret=NBZUALena2\" data-secret=\"NBZUALena2\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PARIS: Monitoring Desk -The Taliban authorities are tightening their grip on the dissemination of information in Afghanistan. In the month of February alone, political programmes on television were banned, the women\u2019s station Radio Begum was temporarily suspended, and two media workers were arrested.\u00a0 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has published a list of the bans currently [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1668,162,913,1268,962,73,1060,219],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43689"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43689"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43694,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43689\/revisions\/43694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}