Human Rights Watch, in a detailed new report, says the Taliban have been arbitrarily detaining and torturing journalists in Afghanistan. The report is based on interviews with 31 journalists both inside the country and abroad.
According to HRW, since taking power the Taliban have placed Afghan media under tight surveillance and censorship, punishing journalists and media workers for real or perceived criticism. The organization warns that exiled Afghan journalists are also increasingly at risk of deportation.
HRW states that the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence and the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are responsible for inspecting media outlets and arresting media staff. Allegations of spying, ties to opposition groups or exiled media, reporting on ISIS-K, or covering internal Taliban disputes are among the main reasons for arrests. Taliban forces search homes and offices and may confiscate phones and computers.
A journalist from Herat said that when foreign media publish critical reports, Taliban officials interrogate local journalists and accuse them of sending information to external outlets.
Another journalist recounted being arrested in 2023 along with two colleagues for alleged spying and anti-Taliban statements. After being forced to sign pledges, they were arrested again two weeks later. He said a senior Taliban intelligence officer tortured him, suffocating him with plastic, beating him, binding his hands and feet, and subjecting him to nightly torture sessions. He said they were called “American boys” and accused of working with exiled media.
Some journalists said their teeth and facial bones were broken from beatings. Others were flogged. Some were released only after promising to abandon journalism. One said that those who are freed still suffer severe psychological trauma.
HRW also reports that journalists from minority groups, especially Hazaras, face even harsher treatment. One Hazara journalist said Taliban interrogators told him he was “nothing” and could be killed anytime.
Even journalists acquitted in court remain at risk of later torture or mistreatment. One said he had no defense lawyer because no one dares represent journalists. He was convicted of “propaganda against the Taliban” and threatened with death even if cleared.
Another journalist who posted a video of Taliban members destroying a historical site said he was severely beaten in custody, leaving his face and hands swollen. His father managed to see him only four months after his arrest.
Several journalists said they know of cases of torture, summary executions, and crimes like murder and domestic violence that they cannot report on.
Women journalists face especially severe restrictions. Their numbers have drastically fallen, and only a few continue working as presenters in cities like Kabul and Herat. In some provinces, no women work in media at all, and in others they must work from home. HRW says female journalists face major obstacles in accessing interviewees. Taliban officers frequently visit newsrooms to enforce compliance and detain “violators.”
In some provinces, including Takhar and Faryab, male journalists are barred from interviewing women. Female journalists are often blocked from covering official events. Officials have also ordered media not to film the public, allowing only footage produced by state media.
Reporters are told to use specific terminology, such as “Emirate” instead of “Taliban,” and many are instructed to produce reports in Pashto. Shia religious programs are banned. One journalist quoted an intelligence officer saying: “If you spoke Pashto, your crime would be smaller.”
Restrictions vary by province, and Taliban officials act inconsistently. One journalist said what is permitted in one office may be banned by another. Kandahar, home of Taliban leader Hibatullah, is described as the most restrictive province for media.
Travel for reporting also requires prior Taliban approval in several regions, including Panjshir and border areas with Iran. Journalists said they are instructed to ask “positive questions,” avoid filming women, and refrain from taking photos in sensitive areas.
The Taliban demand “positive” reporting and block coverage they deem “negative.” One journalist who tried to cover rising gas prices during the Iran–Israel conflict was told the story was “negative” and therefore prohibited. Another said he must avoid using words like “complaint” to keep out of trouble.
More than one thousand journalists have fled Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. Some were relocated to the U.S., Canada, and Europe; others ended up in Turkey and Pakistan, many under precarious legal status and at risk of deportation. Afghan journalists in Turkey face limited internal mobility and restricted access to services. In Pakistan, over 150 Afghan journalists face threats of expulsion. In the U.S., the expiration of Temporary Protected Status has left some at risk of forced return.
HRW says media freedom in Afghanistan has sharply deteriorated over the past four years. Patricia Gossman, the group’s associate director for Asia, said the Taliban increasingly force journalists to produce “safe,” pre-approved content and punish anyone who steps outside their boundaries.
The Taliban also pre-screen reports before publication and censor anything they believe could negatively affect public perception. Journalists are pushed into extreme self-censorship, limiting their work to diplomatic visits, award ceremonies, and development projects. One journalist said he was arrested twice for not covering such events.
Journalists who have fled remain deeply vulnerable in exile, living under threat of deportation and retaliation.
