UN Experts: Taliban Restrict Internet to Suppress Freedoms

DID Press: UN human rights experts warned that Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities are deliberately using internet restrictions and social media bans to control public discourse and “socially engineer” the behavior of Afghanistan citizens.

In a new statement, the group of UN experts said the Taliban’s sweeping curbs on internet access and online platforms form part of a broader strategy aimed at silencing dissent and suppressing fundamental freedoms.

“We are deeply concerned by the restrictions imposed on the internet and social media,” the experts said. “These actions violate not only freedom of expression but also the rights to access information, participate in public life, and enjoy a wide range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.”

According to the statement, the Taliban authorities formally restricted access to several popular social media platforms on October 7, just two days after a nationwide shutdown of internet and telecommunications services.

Observers and rights monitors say the blackout marked an attempt to intensify control over the public sphere and limit the flow of information.

The United Nations has urged the Taliban to immediately lift all restrictions on internet access and to uphold their international human rights obligations, particularly the right to freedom of expression and information.