On the eve of World Press Freedom Day (May 3), the Afghanistan Journalists Center has expressed concern over the growing restrictions on media freedom and the arrest of journalists in the country, stating that media freedom under the caretaker government has been seriously disrupted.
In a published report, the Center said its findings show that from May 2024 until now, at least 215 cases of violations against media freedom have been recorded, including 175 instances of direct and indirect threats and 40 arrests of journalists.
The report states that this figure shows a 58% increase compared to the previous period (May 2023 to May 2024).
The Center emphasized that among the detained journalists, 10 remain in prison, and seven of them have been sentenced to between seven months and three years in prison.
According to the report, the current government has issued and implemented seven new directives over the past year, targeting a wide range of media activities.
These directives include bans on publishing images of living beings, cooperating with exiled media outlets, broadcasting live political and economic programs or roundtables, criticizing or challenging Taliban policies and officials, the presence of unapproved experts, and the operation of women-focused media in some provinces.
The Journalists Center also noted that one of the factors worsening the state of media freedom over the past 12 months has been the increasing role and interference of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in media affairs.
The Center added that this ministry has gained extensive authority to monitor and control media activities and has played a direct role in shutting down or punishing media outlets that disobey its directives, including through threats and arrests of journalists.
According to the report, following the expansion of the ban on publishing images of living beings, 25 television stations have been shut down or converted into radio stations over the past year, while nine radio stations were temporarily closed and one was permanently shut down.
Based on Article 17 of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, ratified by Hibatullah Akhundzada in August last year, publishing images of living beings has been officially prohibited. This ban has so far been enforced in 17 provinces.
According to the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Afghanistan ranks 175th with a score of 17.88, improving slightly from 178th place in 2024.
Reporters Without Borders, which published the rankings, stated that in 2024, at least 12 media outlets were forced to shut down due to mounting restrictions.
