KHOST, Afghanistan — Taliban members attacked the office of Nan FM radio in Khost province on Tuesday, detaining and threatening several employees, according to local sources.
The Taliban members are said to have thrown the station’s equipment outside. The Taliban has not commented on the incident.
Since the collapse of the previous government in August 2021, the Taliban has imposed numerous restrictions on media in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) reported that in 2023, there were 168 incidents of journalists’ rights violations in the country, including the arrest of 61 journalists by the Taliban.
The center’s annual report highlights incidents involving killings, injuries, and threats against journalists predominantly by the Taliban, along with severe media restrictions.
These restrictions include at least 14 media directives issued by the Taliban, some in 2023. These directives cover various aspects such as prohibiting women from working in national radio and television, restricting coverage of demonstrations and civil protests, and setting guidelines for news preparation and content.
Other directives mandate referring to the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, ban music publications, require female journalists to cover their faces, prohibit women from appearing in dramas and media entertainment programs, separate men and women in the media, and ban interviews between women and men journalists.
