Afghanistan Observes National Journalists' Day Amid Intensified Media Restrictions Under Taliban
Afghanistan marked National Journalists' Day on Wednesday, 27 Hoot, a date approved by the previous government's cabinet under Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on March 5, 2019, and added to the official calendar.
Media support institutions have reported that violations against journalists and media rights have intensified under Taliban rule, with threats, restrictions, and censorship reaching heightened levels.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center stated in its annual report that the Taliban closed 15 television and visual media outlets in 2025, the fourth year of their rule. The center documented 205 cases of violence and violations of media rights across the country that year, marking a 13% increase in censorship, threats, and violence against media workers compared to the previous year. It also reported that five journalists remained in Taliban prisons at the end of 2025.
Informed sources indicated that following Pakistan's recent airstrikes, the Taliban increased pressure and censorship on domestic media to control coverage.
Additionally, in 2025, the Taliban enforced Article 17 of the law of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, banning the publication or broadcast of images of living beings in 16 provinces.
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Where reports agree
- National Journalists' Day observed on 27 Hoot, approved in 2019 by previous government
- Intensified violations, threats, censorship against journalists under Taliban
- Increased media pressure after Pakistan airstrikes
- 15 media outlets closed by Taliban in 2025
- 13% rise in censorship/threats/violence per Afghanistan Journalists Center
- 205 media rights violations documented in 2025
- 5 journalists in Taliban prisons end of 2025
- Article 17 ban on images of living beings in 16 provinces in 2025
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