Afghanistan Times
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Kabul: The Afghan Taliban issued a warning to journalists and experts, cautioning them against collaborating with Afghanistan International TV, a London-based broadcaster. They stated that such cooperation would constitute a criminal offense. The Ministry of Information and Culture spokesperson accused the station of violating moral and legal boundaries, announcing a prohibition on participating in its discussions or facilitating its broadcast in public places.
Despite this, Afghanistan International TV’s director noted that the channel’s operations would continue unaffected, as it relies on the reporting of Afghan citizens and has no personnel on the ground in Afghanistan. He emphasized the channel’s commitment to professional standards and press freedom, dismissing attempts to pressure them.
Various press freedom organizations have urged the Taliban to lift restrictions on the broadcaster, which is the most popular international TV channel in Afghanistan. This prohibition highlights the dire state of press freedom in Afghanistan, where RSF ranks the country 178th out of 180 in media freedom.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, over two-thirds of the country’s 12,000 reporters have ceased working as journalists, with female journalists disproportionately affected, as eight out of ten have had to stop working.
