CPJ urges European Commission to not invite the Taliban to Brussels
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on the European Commission to scrap reported plans to invite the Taliban to Brussels. According to media reports, the technical talks would focus on the return of rejected asylum seekers and Afghans convicted of crimes. The European Union does not officially recognize the Taliban, and formal engagement…
Taliban raids TOLOnews office in Afghanistan after detaining 2 journalists
New York, May 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to immediately and unconditionally release two journalists from TOLOnews and end the harassment of media workers following a raid on the broadcaster and its parent company, Moby Group. Taliban intelligence agents detained TOLOnews presenter Mansoor Niazi on May 7 in…
CPJ, partners urge Pakistan PM to stop deportations of exiled Afghan journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined two other press freedom groups in calling on Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to end the intensifying harassment, arbitrary arrests, and deportations of Afghan journalists living in exile in Pakistan. In a joint letter sent March 13, the organizations said Afghan journalists who fled Taliban persecution were now…
Taliban blocks fiber optic internet in Afghan provinces for ‘immorality’
New York, September 17, 2025—Taliban authorities must immediately restore fiber optic internet in Balkh and up to nine other provinces to ensure that Afghan citizens have access to Wi-Fi internet and journalists can continue to provide the public with reliable news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “Banning broadband internet is an unprecedented escalation…
How the Taliban’s propaganda empire consumed Afghan media
In four years, the Taliban have annihilated Afghanistan’s independent media sector and supplanted it with their own propaganda empire and sophisticated digital bots that flood social media with pro-Taliban content. CPJ interviewed 10 Afghan journalists, inside and outside the country, who said that independent media, which used to reach millions of people, have largely been…
CPJ, partners urge Pakistan to halt arbitrary deportations of Afghan journalists
New York, May 28, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists, alongside PEN International and 13 partner organizations, has issued a joint statement urging Pakistan’s government to immediately halt the arbitrary mass deportation of Afghan journalists and other nationals at risk of Taliban persecution. The statement expresses grave concern over Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” which was…
Taliban intelligence agents detain journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi in Kabul
New York, April 18, 2025—Taliban authorities must immediately release independent journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi, who was detained April 14 by General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) agents in the capital Kabul, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “Taliban intelligence must release journalist Sayed Rashed Kashefi immediately and unconditionally,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih…
Taliban ban domestic political and economic broadcasts in Afghanistan
New York, February 14, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Taliban to reverse Thursday’s ban on the broadcast of political and economic programs by domestic Afghan outlets. The Ministry of Information and Culture issued a verbal directive to media executives in the capital Kabul on February 13, stating that organizations may only address…
Taliban detains 2 media workers, suspends women-run broadcaster Radio Begum
New York, February 6, 2025—Taliban intelligence agents raided the Kabul station of Radio Begum on Tuesday, February 4, suspended broadcast operations, detained two unidentified media workers, and confiscated documents and essential broadcasting equipment, including computers, hard drives, and mobile devices. The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture accused the outlet of “non-compliance” with regulations and…
Taliban sentences Afghan journalist Mahdi Ansary to 18 months in prison
New York, January 17, 2025—A Taliban court in the capital Kabul on January 1 sentenced Afghan News Agency reporter Mahdi Ansary to 18 months in prison on charges of disseminating anti-Taliban propaganda. “Mahdi Ansary’s unjust sentence is indicative of the Taliban’s continued brutality and suppression of press freedom in Afghanistan,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s…