RASC News Agency: Naeem ul Haq Haqani, the Head of the Taliban’s Media Center, recently asserted that the media bears a “responsibility to project a positive image” of the group to the global community. According to reports from the Bakhtar News Agency, Mr. Haqani addressed this issue during a session in the province of Baghlan on Thursday, December 21st. He emphasized that Afghanistan has made progress in various sectors, and it is incumbent upon the media to accurately portray these developments and advancements.
Similarly, Zia ul Haq Haqmal, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Taliban group, expressed in a session in Kabul on Wednesday, December 20th, that the media should produce reports in alignment with the policies of the group and the “national unity and Islamic Sharia laws.” This statement comes as the Taliban, since regaining control of the country, has imposed numerous restrictions and constraints on the operations and activities of the media and journalists across various provinces. However, some reports suggest that the Taliban reviews media content in different provinces before publication, and in certain cases, they have instructed journalists not to disseminate content or news against the group.
Reports also detail instances where the Taliban has detained and subjected journalists to torture for communicating in opposition to the group’s directives. In the most recent case, the group’s court in Daykundi province sentenced an official from a private media outlet to one year in prison on charges of spreading news against the group.
