RASC News Agency: The Afghanistan Journalists’ Center, in its latest report, has disclosed that the Taliban’s campaign against the media continued unabated throughout 2024, with at least 181 documented incidents of violations against media freedoms and journalists’ rights. According to the report, these incidents include 130 cases of threats and 51 cases of journalist detentions. The Center has accused the Taliban of adopting a contradictory and inconsistent stance toward the media.
The report highlights that the Taliban’s policy on media remains opaque, with clear divisions within the group regarding their approach. The Ministry of Information and Culture has been marginalized, while the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Taliban’s intelligence apparatus have taken a more aggressive role in enforcing restrictions on media activities. Notably, some Taliban spokespersons and officials within the Ministry of Information and Culture have emphasized the enforcement of the Public Media Law from the previous government. However, many senior Taliban figures have disregarded this law entirely, leading to an inconsistent and often arbitrary application of regulations.
The report also draws attention to the intensified issuance of restrictive directives by the Taliban’s hardline leadership, which adheres to a deeply conservative and traditionalist ideology. This escalation has further stifled media freedom in Afghanistan. One of the most contentious developments in 2024 was the Taliban’s enforcement of a decree banning the broadcast of images depicting “living beings,” as mandated by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue. The report characterizes this decree as a turning point, ushering in a “new and intricate phase” of media suppression.
The ban on publishing images of living beings has significantly curtailed the operations of media outlets, further eroding press freedom in the country. The Afghanistan Journalists’ Center underscored that it recorded at least 181 violations of media rights in 2024, including 130 instances of threats and 51 cases of detentions involving journalists. This report underscores the deteriorating state of press freedom in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, highlighting the increasing perils faced by journalists and media organizations operating within the country.
