RASC News Agency: On Friday, March 28, the Freedom of Speech House issued a statement strongly condemning the Taliban’s ban on broadcasting live images in local media across Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Nimroz provinces. The organization denounced the move as a clear intensification of media censorship and a blatant violation of press freedom in Afghanistan. According to the statement, the Taliban have been strategically leveraging media outlets to advance their propaganda, and this latest restriction serves as yet another mechanism to curtail independent journalism. The Freedom of Speech House warned that if this policy is not reversed, it could lead to a nationwide ban on live broadcasting, severely limiting public access to information and further tightening the regime’s grip on the media.
Despite the oppressive environment since the Taliban’s return to power, the organization asserted that press freedom in Afghanistan has not been completely extinguished. However, measures such as this further obstruct the path to an open and independent media landscape and threaten to dismantle what remains of journalistic autonomy in the country. The statement also referenced concerns from other media advocacy groups, many of which have previously cautioned that the Taliban aim to systematically erase visual media from Afghanistan’s information ecosystem. The Afghanistan Journalists’ Center has similarly described these restrictions as a deliberate attempt to dismantle independent journalism and suppress free expression.
The Freedom of Speech House called on international media watchdogs and human rights organizations to take a decisive stance against the Taliban’s crackdown on press freedoms and to exert pressure to ensure the protection of journalists. The organization further emphasized the urgent need for global support to enable media professionals in Afghanistan to operate without fear of repression, intimidation, or censorship. Experts argue that while such restrictive policies may solidify the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan’s media and political discourse, they are also increasingly fueling domestic unrest and intensifying international scrutiny, potentially escalating diplomatic and economic pressure on the regime.
