The Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) announced on Wednesday that the Taliban have increased pressure on journalists and local media since the start of recent protests in Herat, restricting their access to information.
In a statement, the organization said the Taliban have intensified censorship, threats, and pressure on journalists and media outlets operating in the province. According to AMSO, Taliban officials in the Herat Department of Information and Culture have, in recent meetings and phone calls, threatened local journalists.
At the same time, media outlets, citing their sources, reported that in recent days the Taliban, in the presence of the head of the Department of Information and Culture and representatives of the group’s intelligence agency, summoned a number of journalists and online content producers, urging them to cover activities described as the Taliban’s “achievements.”
According to these reports, Taliban officials warned journalists to refrain from publishing negative reports and security-related news, particularly on issues related to the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Earlier this week, the Taliban began arresting women in Herat whom they believed were not observing their interpretation of hijab. The move sparked reactions in the Jebraeil township of Herat, and according to witnesses and local sources, the ensuing protests were met with violent response from Taliban forces.
AMSO says the Taliban have warned that any journalist who shares information or reports about these protests with foreign media or media outlets based outside Afghanistan will be arrested and punished.
The organization added that the Taliban are attempting to restrict independent reporting on developments in Herat through pressure on local media, in an effort to present the situation as normal.
AMSO described these actions as a blatant attack on freedom of information and said the threats against journalists are incompatible with established principles of press freedom and international human rights standards.
The statement further noted that the security situation for journalists in Afghanistan has moved beyond a warning stage and has reached a deeply concerning level.
The media organization called on local Taliban authorities in Herat to end repeated threats against journalists and to create conditions that allow media outlets to operate freely and safely.
AMSO also urged the United Nations, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, and other human rights organizations to intensify their efforts to protect journalists and support freedom of expression in Afghanistan.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
