Photo :webshot. 

March 29, 2022

Anna Murray 

According to the Taliban, news programs from the Voice of America (VOA) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) are no longer broadcast on private television stations in Afghanistan. Furthermore, according to DW's Afghan service on March 28, some DW programming will no longer be rebroadcast in Pashto and Dari by Afghan partners. 

Since taking control of the country in August 2021, the Islamist group has imposed a slew of restrictions on Afghan media in order to stifle free expression. Afghan journalists have been imprisoned and assaulted on numerous occasions by security forces.

According to a report released on December 20, 2021 by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 6,400 journalists and media workers have lost their jobs since the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15. Since the Taliban took control of the country, at least 40% of Afghan media outlets have disappeared, and more than 80% of women journalists have lost their jobs.