The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Taliban have steadily tightened their grip on Afghanistan's media landscape since returning to power five years ago, using a growing web of laws, decrees and orders to criminalize criticism, restrict women journalists and silence independent reporting, Reporters Without Borders said.
The Paris-based press freedom group, known by its French
initials RSF, said in a statement marking five years of Taliban rule that the
authorities have issued more than 20 national directives, along with numerous
provincial decrees, that have increasingly restricted journalism.
RSF said the latest escalation came in January, when the
Taliban quietly introduced a new code of criminal procedure for courts. The
code was not publicly announced and came to light through a leak, the group
said.
Although the code does not specifically mention the press,
it also provides no protections or exemptions for journalists and other media
workers, leaving them vulnerable to prosecution and severe penalties, including
imprisonment, according to RSF.
The group said provisions of the code effectively
criminalize criticism of the Taliban leadership. Article 23 provides for 20
lashes and six months in prison for insulting the leadership of the Islamic
Emirate, while Article 19 sets a punishment of 39 lashes and one year in prison
for insulting the Taliban's supreme leader, according to RSF.
The code also requires people to report contact with
opponents of the government to authorities, RSF said. Broadly defined offenses
including "rebellion," "subversion" and "heresy"
carry harsh penalties, creating additional risks for journalists reporting on
political or security issues.
"In five years, the Taliban have methodically turned
Afghanistan into a prison for information," said Célia Mercier, RSF's
South Asia desk officer. "Every new directive further shrinks the space
for journalists and independent media."
Mercier said the restrictions have particularly affected
women journalists, who have faced sweeping restrictions under Taliban rule. She
also cited bans on criticism and restrictions on broadcasting images of living
beings as part of what RSF described as an increasingly comprehensive system of
censorship.
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan's
media sector has suffered a sharp deterioration, with journalists facing
restrictions on what they can report, how they can work and, increasingly,
whether they can remain in the profession.
RSF said hundreds of Afghan journalists have fled the
country because of the repression. The organization called on transit and host
countries to recognize the risks facing Afghan media workers and ensure they
are protected, including by granting them visas.
"The de facto authorities are seeking absolute control
over the flow of information," Mercier said.
RSF called for the repeal of provisions that restrict press
freedom and urged governments outside Afghanistan to prevent the deportation or
forced return of Afghan journalists who could face persecution.
The statement comes as Afghanistan approaches the fifth
anniversary of the Taliban's return to power, a period in which the country's
independent media has been increasingly constrained by laws, decrees and
informal orders.
For journalists still working inside Afghanistan, RSF's
assessment points to a media environment in which the boundaries of permissible
reporting have narrowed steadily — while the consequences of crossing them have
become increasingly severe.
