By: Zubaida
Afghanistan’s press freedom has reached a critical low under the Taliban’s intensified crackdown on media. In 2024 alone, at least 12 public and private media outlets, including 11 television stations and one radio station, have been forcibly shut down across seven provinces.
The latest closure involved Arezo TV, a Kabul-based station raided on December 4 by the General Intelligence Directorate (GDI) and the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Seven employees, including bureau chief Amanullah Azimi and presenter Khalid Barakzai, were detained and remain in Pul-e-Charkhi prison. Witnesses report staff mistreatment, equipment confiscation, and accusations of ties to exiled media and broadcasting “un-Islamic” content.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemned these actions. Célia Mercier, RSF’s South Asia Desk head, emphasized the growing threats to media, particularly in light of new restrictions banning depictions of living beings, music, and commentary critical of the Taliban.
Television stations have faced closures for violating these bans in several provinces, such as Kandahar, Helmand, and Badghis. Some, like Oboor TV in Badghis, operate under strict limitations, while radio stations in Khost and Laghman provinces have also been targeted, with closures tied to new restrictions on female voices and music.
Since regaining control in 2021, the Taliban has systematically suppressed press freedom, detaining at least 141 journalists, including 25 this year. RSF calls for the immediate release of detained media personnel and the restoration of closed outlets to ensure Afghans’ right to access information.
The Taliban’s increasing ideological control threatens to leave Afghanistan’s airwaves silent, amplifying concerns about the nation’s dwindling space for free expression.
