MONITORING (SW) – Afghanistan has dropped 34 places in the World Press Freedom Index 2022, announced the Reporters Without Borders on Tuesday.
According to the latest report, Afghanistan has dropped from 122nd to 156th place in the ranking. According to Reporters Without Borders, journalists and the media in Afghanistan face difficult conditions. Reporters Without Borders added that the rise of the Islamic Emirate to power has had serious consequences for respecting the freedom of the press and the security of journalists, especially women.
The fall of Kabul to the Taliban on 15 August 2021 radically changed the media landscape, it said, adding that in the space of first three months, 43% of Afghan media outlets disappeared. Of the 10,780 people working in Afghan newsrooms (8,290 men and 2,490 women) at the beginning of August, only 4,360 were still working in December (3,950 men and 410 women), or four out of ten journalists. Proportionally, women have been much more affected: more than four in five (84%) have lost their jobs since the arrival of the Taliban, whereas only one in two men have (52%).
It said the Taliban announced the formation of their government, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, on 7 September 2021. This has made the situation very confusing for journalists because they receive directives from many different parts of the government, including the Minister of Culture and Information, the Istikhbarat (the Taliban intelligence agency), the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Repression of Vice, and the Government Media and Information Centre (GMIC).
The economy, which depended on international aid, has collapsed. According to the UN, more than 22.8 million people will face acute food insecurity in the near future. This context has further undermined the media and made journalism more precarious.
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