UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Urges Taliban to Respect Free Media in Afghanistan
Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, asked the Taliban to respect a free, pluralistic, and independent media scene in the country. On World Press Freedom Day, Bennett also praised Afghan women journalists who work despite risks to their lives.
May 3 is celebrated every year as World Press Freedom Day.
The Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on media organisations and journalists in Afghanistan for more than 20 months.
The group has imposed more restrictions on female journalists in the Afghan media sector. Among other restrictions, the Taliban have ordered female TV presenters to wear masks.
In addition to this, Afghanistan Journalists Center published a report on Tuesday saying that the organisation has documented 213 cases of violence against journalists in Afghanistan over the past year.
Meanwhile, Shaharzad Akbar, the former head of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, said on Wednesday that in the last two years, thousands of journalists and media activists, especially female journalists, have lost their jobs.
Akbar added that journalists have been detained, imprisoned, and tortured under the Taliban reign.
At the same time, Nai, supporting open media in Afghanistan, announced that after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, over 50 percent of the Afghan media sector stopped operation due to economic problems and other challenges in the country.
According to Nai, more than 65 percent of journalists and media workers have also lost their jobs.
