The May 6 event brought together Afghan and Canadian journalists, university faculty, students and leaders from media rights organizations.

The two reporters, Asadullah Timur and Sayed Munir Hadaf, were affiliated with Tasweer, a local weekly publication.

Taliban said the purpose of the directive is to prevent the public from viewing or redistributing this content.

“Zan” means “woman” in Farsi. “With the name Zan Times,” Nader said, “the message is clear: it is now women’s.

“Today, the voice of the Afghan press is being suffocated,” several Afghan journalists and media activists said in video messages.

UNAMA said Afghanistan’s media landscape is facing a steady erosion of independence.

Bennett also called for increased support for Afghan journalists and media outlets in exile.

The findings point to what the center called a “severely deteriorating” media environment, especially in remote provinces where journalists face.

Afghanistan’s overall score declined from 19.09 to 17.88, indicating a further deterioration in press freedom conditions.