The Taliban have systematically and intentionally imposed restrictions on the right of access to information and the right to freedom of expression since their return to power in 2021, according to a survey on Thursday.
Actions such as the suspension and annulment of previous laws, exerting pressure on media support organizations, and imposing unjustified limitations on access to information are among the most significant measures taken by the Taliban, the survey report of Rawadari said.
Consequently, currently active media outlets in Afghanistan, which previously played a crucial role in promoting freedom of speech and the free flow of information, have lost their independence and freedom of operation.
The Taliban have revoked and suspended laws that included the right to access information and freedom of expression, and currently there is no effective legal mechanism to protect media outlets and journalists against interference and intimidation.
This has led to widespread violation of the right to freedom of expression and access to information and has eliminated the ability of citizens to participate in government decision-making that impacts their lives.
The findings of this report indicate that the Taliban, with complete disregard to Afghanistan’s international human rights commitments and the country’s pre-Taliban laws, have engaged in suppressing freedom of expression and media using various tools and methods, particularly imposing unlawful and discriminatory restrictions on women journalists.
Currently, only a few women journalists are working with the media, conditional upon fully complying with the conditions set by the Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of vice (MPVPV).
In addition to this, the Taliban have engaged in persistent harassment and intimidation of media, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, the detention and killing of protesters and imposing extensive restrictions on the activities of libraries, bookstores, and publishers.
The provincial departments of MPVPV, Ministry of Information & Culture (MoIC), General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), and Police Directorates are among the key institutions involved in suppression of freedom of expression and access to information.
The Taliban have also dismantled accountability mechanisms such as independent judiciary, independent anti-corruption bodies and prevent media’s access to information on national budget expenditure, thus leading to administrative and financial corruption.
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