Kabul: At least 70 percent of media outlets have stopped working in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control over the country due to financial problems, National Association of Journalists.
The national association of journalists in a press conference in Kabul on Sunday, said that they found the statistics after conducting an online survey in 28 provinces of Afghanistan, Khamma Press reported.
They said that 1,500 Afghan journalists had taken part in the survey.
As per the statistics of the organization, 67 percent of the Afghan journalists have lost their jobs and 33 percent of them are busy working under acute pressure and in tough situations.
The Head of the national association of journalists said Masroor Lutfi said that most of the Afghan media that are active are confronting dire economic and financial situations.
“40 percent of the Afghan journalists are worried about their safety in Afghanistan and rest of them are living a difficult life as they have lost their jobs.” Said Lutfi.
The re-emergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan raised the concerns among many that journalists in the country would be targeted to silence dissent.
Recently, two Afghan journalists were beaten in police custody after covering a protest by women in Kabul.
At the first Taliban news conference on August 17 after the group took Kabul, their spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that media will remain “free and independent,” provided they work according to “Islamic principles,” and are fair and serve “national interests.”The Human Rights Watch said that Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have imposed wide-ranging restrictions on media and free speech that are already stifling criticism and dissent.
Taliban security forces have also arbitrarily detained journalists and beaten several. The head of a journalists’ advocacy group told Human Rights Watch that the Taliban have taken at least 32 journalists into custody since they took power in Kabul on August 15, the Human Rights Watch said.