OVER the past five years, the environment for journalists and news outlets in Afghanistan has suffered a dramatic collapse. What began as simple administrative rules has turned into a strict system of censorship, fear and control. According to a comprehensive assessment by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Taliban regime has effectively transformed independent journalism into a tool for state propaganda.
The decline of press freedom happened in stages, driven by dozens of official rules and local decrees. In September 2021, the regime introduced 11 strict rules that gave officials direct control over news production. Over time, these regulations prohibited critical coverage and severely restricted who could speak on air. By September 2024, live political programs were completely banned and outlets were forced to host only government approved experts. Questioning Taliban laws or policies was treated as a crime rather than a matter of public debate.
Erasing women identity and blocking international News is another nail in the coffin. Women working in the media have faced the harshest measures. In late 2021, female television presenters were required to cover their faces on air. By March 2025, regional directives in provinces like Kandahar went further, banning women’s voices from radio broadcasts altogether. These actions systematically pushed female journalists out of public life and silenced their perspectives.
At the same time, the regime cut off access to global news. In early 2022, broadcasts from international outlets like Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe were banned. By July 2024, new legislation banned broadcasting images that depict living beings, a rule that quickly spread across most of the country and made visual journalism nearly impossible.
The legal framework that once protected journalists was dismantled. In April 2024, the regime officially repealed the country’s 2015 Press Law, removing legal safeguards for media workers. Repression intensified significantly in January 2026 with the introduction of a new Code of Criminal Procedure, which divides society into four social classes and mandates that discretionary punishments be determined by a person’s social status rather than the offense itself. I would like to mention some articles under this code.
Article 19 imposes up to 39 lashes and one year in prison for insulting the supreme leader. Article 23 mandates 20 lashes and six months in prison for criticizing regime leadership. Article 24 obliges citizens to report any contact with political opponents, turning ordinary people into informants. Vague charges such as rebellion, subversion and heresy give local judges broad authority to arrest and punish anyone who challenges the government line. Media professionals receive no legal immunity under these laws.
By criminalizing criticism, censoring images, banning international sources and removing female voices, the regime has eliminated independent journalism in Afghanistan. Hundreds of local reporters have fled the country to escape threats and imprisonment. Afghanistan has become an information prison. RSF’s assessment demonstrates that the regime does not oversee an informed public, but instead maintains strict control over an isolated information landscape. It’s a well-known fact that the state of press freedom is very sensitive, even in Pakistan and globally. Reporting the truth has become one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
—The writer is an alumnus of QAU, MPhil scholar and a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad.
