These laws, introduced by the Taliban, prohibit the media from publishing anti-Islamic and offensive material. In addition, The New York Times reported that media outlets were instructed to coordinate with government-run media outlets to prepare news reports.
“Everyone in the media is scared,” said Steven Butler, a senior member of the US – based media freedom organization. “The organization receives hundreds of emails from the media asking for help,” Butler added.
With the fall of the current government in Afghanistan, about 150 media outlets have been shut down due to inability to carry out their day-to-day operations. This is because the Taliban are constantly infiltrating the ‘freedom of information’ of the media. According to Tolo News, this has disrupted the activities of journalists’ organizations.
The New York Times reports that many major media outlets have already stopped printing and reduced themselves to online publishing in the wake of the severe economic downturn that followed the coup in Afghanistan.
The Taliban seized control of a democratically elected government in a military coup on August 13. Earlier this month, the Taliban unleashed attacks on journalists who reported on public outrage and protests against the “new government.”
The Taliban’s vision in Afghanistan is a blow to their promises of respect for human rights and human values. NDTV reports that incidents of human rights abuses of journalists constantly being tortured and killed are coming out of Afghanistan.
The content of the programs presented on the private TV channel in Afghanistan has also changed. NDTV reports that important news bulletins, political debates, entertainment, musicals, and foreign dramas are being replaced by programs currently being proposed by the Taliban government.
Meanwhile, NDTV reported that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media group, has called for an end to the ban on journalists in Afghanistan and for them to be able to work without fear of retaliation.
Dramatic changes took place in Afghanistan shortly after the United States announced its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
In the first week of August, Dawa Khan Menapal, the head of the Afghan government’s media information center in Kabul, was assassinated. Two days later, Toofan Omar, a journalist with Paktia Ghag Radio, was killed by Taliban militants. Following the fall of Kabul, Taliban militants launched an extensive search for journalists. The Taliban tortured and killed some of the journalists, the Al Arabiya Post reported.
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