Kabul September 24 (ANI): In a bid to additional censor and repress the media freedom in Afghanistan:
These curbs involve directives against publishing subjects that are in conflict with Islam or insulting to national personalities, and also instruct journalists to make news reports in coordination with the government media workplace, The New York Times reported.
“Journalists are just frightened,” stated Steven Butler, a senior member of America-based press freedom organization adding that “the organization had been receiving hundreds of emails from [Afghan] journalists asking for help.”
Since the collapse of Afghan government, Over 150 media outlets in Afghanistan have shut down their operations as they struggled to carry out their day to day functions. This is for the reason that the Taliban has been constantly generating intrusion in media’s ‘right to information’ which has hampered the work of scribe organisations, Tolo News reported.
Some of the most prominent newspapers had been also forced to cease print operations and now publish only on-line, amid the country’s sharp financial downturn, The New York Times reported
Earlier in this month, the Taliban also cracked upon the journalists covering demonstrations against the ‘new government’ formed following ousting the democratically elected government.
Contrary to the promises made by the Taliban of respecting human values, the group continues to violate the simple human rights of media personnel as they are getting harassed, tortured, and killed.
There has been a modify in the content getting shown on private Television channels. Critical news bulletins, political debates, entertainment and music shows, foreign dramas are replaced with programmes tailored to the Taliban government.
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has also asked Taliban to instantly cease detaining journalists in Afghanistan and let the media to operate freely and with no worry of reprisal.
Things have changed drastically considering the fact that the Taliban started its military advances following the US announced the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.
Dawa Khan Menapal, the Director of Afghanistan’s Government Information Media Center in Kabul was killed in the very first week of August. Two days later, journalist Toofan Omar of Paktia Ghag Radio was murdered by the Taliban fighters. Soon following Kabul fell, Taliban fighters started seeking for journalists–a lot of had been tortured whilst some had been killed, reported Al Arabiya Post.
()