Khaama: Afghan citizens criticized the nationwide internet blackout, warning it deepens isolation, disrupts communications, limits access to information, and pushes Afghanistan further from global progress and development. Afghan citizens have voiced sharp criticism over the nationwide shutdown of fiber optic internet, warning that the blackout threatens communication and further isolates the country. Access to fiber
Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada attempted to block the use of smartphones in Afghanistan before ordering the shutdown of wireless internet, sources told Afghanistan International. According to the sources, about a year ago in Kandahar, Akhundzada asked the Taliban’s council of clerics to find a “religious justification” for banning smartphones. The aim, they
Amu: Internet services provided by Afghan Telecom, the state-owned operator, were cut in Kandahar province on Tuesday afternoon, local sources told Amu TV. The disruption comes days after Afghan Telecom’s fiber-optic services were shut down in Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. Taliban officials there confirmed the blackout, saying it was ordered by the Taliban’s supreme
Amu: The Taliban’s provincial police chief in Kunar has threatened local journalists, warning them not to report on complaints from survivors of a recent earthquake, according to several people familiar with the matter. Zia-ul-Haq Hamed, the Taliban’s police commander in Kunar, told reporters in a meeting that they must avoid publishing stories that present what
Amu: During a live broadcast of the Taliban Foreign Ministry’s annual press briefing on Wednesday, the voices of at least two female journalists who asked questions were muted by the state-run national television broadcaster. The event, led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, was aired live on state television. When two women
Afghanistan International: In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, 10 July, UNAMA warned that the policy, which requires prior approval of programme content and guest speakers by Taliban authorities, risks fostering fear and self-censorship among Afghan journalists and media outlets. Under the new rules, media outlets must seek prior approval from the
Afghanistan International: Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, censored parts of an audio recording of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s Eid speech at the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar. Notably, Akhundzada’s voice was cut off at the moment he began criticising the widespread influence of the media among the public. The censorship of Akhundzada’s speech prompted sharp reactions
Khaama: On Saturday, May 3, World Press Freedom Day arrives amid mounting concerns over the deteriorating state of media freedom in Afghanistan. Under Taliban rule, the country’s once-vibrant press landscape continues to shrink under severe censorship and repression. Click here to read more (external link). More Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries in press
Amu: Taliban have expanded their ban on the broadcast of images of living beings to 16 provinces, with both state-run and private television stations now restricted to audio-only reporting, according to an investigation by Amu TV. Most recently, the Taliban extended the restrictions to Bamyan and Panjshir provinces, effective from April 16, 2025. The moves
Amu: The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) reported Tuesday that Taliban have banned the capturing and publication of images of living beings in Bamiyan Province. According to the AFJC, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice issued a formal letter to local government offices in Bamiyan on April 17, mandating enforcement