Taliban takeover raises fears about the future of Afghan media

A cameraman films a news anchor at Tolo News studio, in Kabul, Afghanistan September 7, 2018. Picture taken September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 has raised fears about the safety of Afghan journalists and the future of the vibrant media landscape that developed in the country over the last 20 years. Afghan media workers and their families became targets as the Taliban raided their homes, forced female reporters off the air, and beat and arrested journalists.

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon has warned that an entire generation of reporters is at risk and, as part of its advocacy efforts, the organization has called on the U.S. and other G-7 governments to do more to support their safe passage out the country.

If you are an Afghan journalist needing help

CPJ is devoting the resources at its disposal to help Afghan journalists where possible. We are not equipped to evacuate people and only governments are able to issue visas, but are registering and vetting cases of Afghan journalists at risk of Taliban reprisals.

If you are an Afghan journalist seeking help, please send your information to emergencies@cpj.org. Please note that we are receiving an extremely high volume of emails and are not able to respond as quickly as we would like to.

Online security

November 2, 2021 Journalists shot, beaten, and detained in Afghanistan
October 25, 2021 Taliban fighter beats freelance journalist Sadaqat Ghorzang at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing
October 21, 2021 Taliban fighters assault at least 3 journalists covering women’s protest in Afghanistan
September 30, 2021 Gunmen forcibly enter office of Salam Watandar broadcaster in Afghanistan
September 27, 2021 Doha Diary: CPJ’s Lucy Westcott on her ‘honor of a lifetime’ — helping fleeing Afghan journalists
September 23, 2021 ‘A lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear’: CPJ’s María Salazar Ferro on evacuating Afghan journalists
September 22, 2021 Afghan journalist Mohammad Ali Ahmadi shot and injured in Kabul
September 13, 2021 Afghan photographer Morteza Samadi detained by Taliban since September 7
September 9, 2021 ‘Be patient and prevent despair’: An exiled Syrian journalist’s advice for fleeing Afghan reporters
September 8, 2021 Taliban fighters detain, flog, and beat journalists covering protests in Afghanistan

_{Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)}

_{Evacuees from Afghanistan find temporary shelter in the US Army Rhine Ordonanz barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach}

Spotlight: Journalists killed in Afghanistan

Since 2001, 64 journalists have died in Afghanistan in killings related to their work. Danish Siddiqui of Reuters and Mina Khairi of Ariana News TV lost their lives in 2021 and militant groups targeted at least five other reporters for murder in 2020, according to CPJ data.

CPJ’s advocacy for Afghan journalists

CPJ’s Maria Salazar Ferro on the efforts to support Afghan journalists
G-7 must protect and evacuate journalists and media workers in Afghanistan
U.S. must protect Afghan journalists as Taliban take power
Afghan Journalists Need U.S. Help: CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon’s Wall Street Journal op-ed
What the U.S. can do to save the lives of Afghan journalists: CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon’s Washington Post op-ed
CPJ, U.S. media organizations urge U.S. to provide visas to Afghans who worked with press
CPJ calls on governments to establish emergency visas for journalists
Open appeal to UN Member States to ensure the adoption of a resolution creating an investigative mechanism on Afghanistan at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council