Taliban bans radio broadcasts of VOA and RFE/RL in Afghanistan
New York, December 1, 2022 – Taliban authorities must cease their intensifying crackdown on the media in Afghanistan and reinstate the radio transmissions of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcasters Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture issued the ban, which went…
Armed men beat 2 Afghan journalists, leaving 1 unconscious
New York, November 11, 2022 – Taliban authorities must investigate the beating and harassment of two Afghan journalists and take immediate action to protect members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the evening of October 31, three men armed with guns stopped reporter Niaz Mohammad Khaksar as he walked home…
Killing with impunity: Vast majority of journalists’ murderers go free
By Jennifer Dunham/CPJ Deputy Editorial Director No one has been held to account in nearly 80% of journalist murders during the last 10 years, CPJ’s 2022 Global Impunity Index found, and governments show little interest in tackling the issue. Published November 1, 2022 Statistical table | Methodology | Database: All journalists murdered for their work…
Taliban shuts down two news websites in Afghanistan
New York, October 4, 2022 – Taliban authorities must stop censoring news coverage in Afghanistan and allow Hasht-e Subh Daily and Zawia News to operate under their internet domain names, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, October 3, the Taliban’s Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology said it had shut down the websites of Hasht-e Subh Daily and Zawia News due to “false propaganda” against the Taliban, according to a tweet from the ministry’s spokesperson Anayatullah Alokozay and…
Taliban intelligence agents detain American filmmaker Ivor Shearer, Afghan producer Faizullah Faizbakhsh in Kabul
New York, August 19, 2022 – Taliban authorities must immediately release American journalist and independent filmmaker Ivor Shearer and Afghan producer Faizullah Faizbakhsh, and cease detaining journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On August 17, Shearer and Faizbakhsh were filming in the Sherpur area of District 10 in Kabul–where a U.S. drone strike…
Taliban members beat, threaten, Afghan journalist Saboor Raufi
New York, August 18, 2022 – Taliban authorities must investigate the beating and harassment of journalist Saboor Raufi and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, August 15, two armed Taliban members beat Raufi, an anchor and reporter with Afghanistan’s independent Ariana News TV station, while he was…
NEW REPORT: Afghanistan press freedom is in crisis as local journalists fight for survival
One year after the Taliban takeover, Afghan news organizations challenge restrictions and assaults New York, August 11, 2022 — One year after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan news outlets are struggling to survive amid an increasingly restrictive censorship regime targeting independent journalists, the flight of many Afghan media workers, and the country’s declining economy,…
Journalist safety, press freedom groups urge U.S. Secretary of State Blinken to expedite visas for Afghan journalists
Press freedom and journalist safety organizations urge Secretary of State Blinken and the Department of State to take every possible step to expedite the processing of Priority 2-referred Afghans under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and Special Immigrant Visa applications from at-risk Afghan citizens, and in particular journalists.
Afghanistan’s media crisis
One year after the Taliban takeover Published August 11, 2022 The Taliban’s August 2021 takeback of power in Afghanistan has had a devastating effect on the vibrant media landscape that developed after the U.S.-led invasion 20 years earlier. Between censorship, arrests, assaults, restrictions on women journalists, the flight of experienced reporters, and the country’s declining…
CPJ’s recommendations for protecting journalists and press freedom in Afghanistan
The Committee to Protect Journalists makes the following recommendations to facilitate media freedom and ensure the safety of journalists in Afghanistan: To the Taliban, the de facto authorities in Afghanistan 1. Respect and guarantee the ability of all journalists and media workers to report and produce news freely and independently, without fear of reprisal, in…