The suspension of broadcasting licenses, arrests of journalists and closure of news outlets in Afghanistan show that the Taliban continues to exert pressure on the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.
In recent weeks, the Taliban-run Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA) has suspended 17 broadcasting licenses granted to 14 media outlets in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The private radio station Kawoon Ghag in Laghman province has also been shut down, the organization said.
“Three years after the fall of Kabul, the Taliban continues to exert pressure on journalists and media outlets remaining in Afghanistan,” Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia Program coordinator, told VOA.
“In July alone, at least two journalists – Sayed Rahim Saeedi and Mohammad Ibrahim Mohtaj – were arrested by Taliban intelligence agents and morality police, respectively,” he said by email.
Radio and television stations Hamisha Bahar, Sharq TV and Arzasht were among the channels whose licenses were suspended, according to the Afghan media association.
Media outlets were ordered to pay their outstanding licensing fees, which cost about US$1,500 per year.
However, given that the media industry has been under economic pressure since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the costs may be difficult to bear, a journalist said.
“When the country is in an economic crisis, it is difficult for local media to pay the license fees,” an Afghan freelance journalist told VOA. “Even if this happens, they (authorities) should approach these outlets and help them,” the journalist, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, told VOA.
He described the move as a systematic suppression of freedom of expression in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Afghanistan has seen a sharp decline in international aid receipts and its economic conditions, according to a 2024 World Bank report.
Neither the Taliban Ministry of Communications and Information Technology nor regulator ATRA responded to VOA's emailed requests for comment.
Shukrullah Pasoon, former director of Enikass TV, said even if the Taliban allowed some affected news agencies to continue operating, it would not be easy for them to continue broadcasting and gain audiences.
“This is part of their crackdown on journalists. Journalists do not feel safe to continue working under the Taliban. Through this, they (the Taliban) want to pressure journalists to influence the content presented by news agencies,” Pasoon said. (ab/lt)
