Taliban Claims Media Support Amid Press Freedom Collapse in Afghanistan

DID Press: Taliban claimed commitment to supporting media outlets in Afghanistan, even as international reports point to a continued and sharp decline in press freedom across the country.

On World Press Freedom Day, Khobib Ghufran said the government remains committed to supporting media institutions, noting that more than 140 new media outlets received licenses in the past year, which he described as a sign of progress.

However, this claim stands in stark contrast to assessments by organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, which has consistently ranked Afghanistan among the lowest countries globally for press freedom over the past four years. The organization reports widespread media closures, mass exile of journalists, and increasing censorship and structural restrictions.

Local journalists and monitoring groups also report growing pressure, repeated interrogations, limited access to information, and bans on certain forms of media content, including restrictions on visual broadcasting in several provinces. These measures have forced many outlets to shut down or shift to audio and text-only formats.

Ghufran also urged media organizations to operate within what he described as “religious, cultural, and policy frameworks,” which critics say remain vaguely defined and open to selective enforcement and censorship.

World Press Freedom Day, established by UNESCO and the United Nations in 1993, comes at a time when the gap between official claims and on-the-ground media conditions in Afghanistan continues to widen.