Freedom of expression under Taliban rule

by Aamaj News

Morwarid Yusufi

Earlier Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that 40% of Afghan media outlets have been closed and 80% of journalists have lost their jobs.

The result of a joint survey which were conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), showed that Afghan media outlets have witnessed a huge change after Taliban’s domination.

After August 15, 2021 totally 231 media outlets have stopped their activities and 6400 journalists and media staff have lost their jobs. The mejority of them are female journalists, four out of five of them are Afghan female journalists.

A major impact on female journalists’ careers

Stopping the activities of media outlets in Afghanistan has had a major impact on female journalists’ careers.

Prior the Taliban’s domination from 10790 journalists in Afghanistan, 8290 men and 2490 women were working on media as RSF reported. But 3950 men one out of two male journalists which is 51% and 410 women four out of five female journalists that is 81% have lost their jobs especially after August 15.

I had an interview with Angeeza Ahmadi an Afghan female journalist who quit her job because of Taliban’s censorship of the press.

Angeeza has worked more than 5 years in the field of media, and believes that women had great success and achievements in past two decades in the field of media, and the freedom of media was the important one. She said that in the past she had solo trips to Kunar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Kandahar to make reports, but now she cannot leave her house. She added that she went to her job for two weeks after Taliban’s domination, but she noticed the Taliban’s censorship of press, and quit her job. She said that Taliban cannot avoid broadcasting the reality, and cannot limit the media. Now she lives in hiding, and teaches some girls.

The majority of journalists left the country after August 15, and a number of them are practicing self-censorship.

A big divergence in the field of media

According to the survey of RSF after Taliban’s domination, Afghan media outlets have noticed a big divergence than the way they were prior the domination of Taliban. According to this survey from 543 media outlets tallied in Afghanistan at the start of the summer, only 312 were still operating at the end of November, this way 43% of media outlets have stopped their activities. There were some private media outlets in some provinces that have stopped their activities; for example, in Parwan from dozens of media outlets now three of them have broadcasting.

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