8am: Several journalists working under Taliban rule have expressed concern over the intensifying crackdown on the media and the complete restriction of access to information. According to them, no media outlet under Taliban control can publish the existing realities and can only disseminate content that the Taliban permit. They emphasize that journalists in Afghanistan cannot publish even the smallest comment or opinion on incidents that in any way criticize the Taliban or expose the group’s shortcomings, and if they do, they face humiliation, insults, and arrest. These journalists stress that freedom of expression has effectively been eliminated and that working with exile-based media, under the shadow of fear, censorship, and threats, has become a costly and high-risk activity. They add that they are either forced to work under fear and accept the risk of retaliation and imprisonment, or turn journalism into a tool for reflecting Taliban narratives. Click here to read more (external link).