Afghanistan has been recently removed as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) – a global partnership of countries working together proactively to advocate for media freedom at home and abroad. Afghanistan joined the Media Freedom Coalition in January 2020.
In a statement issued by the coalition last week, MFC stated: “It is clear to the MFC that the situation of media freedom in Afghanistan is, unfortunately, no longer in line with the Global Pledge. Indeed, the current state of affairs is one of grave concern.
The coalition stated: “The Media Freedom Coalition will continue to closely monitor the media freedom situation in Afghanistan and reaffirms the commitment of members to the principles outlined in the Global Pledge on Media Freedom.”
In reaction to the statement of Media Freedom Coalition, deputy Minister of Publications for Information and Culture Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi by rejecting the MFC’s claims that media operation has been restricted in Afghanistan said that all media outlets were operating normally in accordance to the Afghan culture and Islamic values.
According to deputy publication minister, all media outlets are allowed to operate in the country but to respect the Afghan culture and Islamic values.
Pointing to some claims made by some foreign media outlets saying that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed increasing restrictions on media, deputy minister of publications for information and culture said all claims of restrictions on media were baseless and not true, adding that all domestic and international media outlets were normally operating in the country.
He stressed that the IEA was supporting journalists and media outlets, saying that the ministry of information and culture was working to address all challenges facing the media in the country.
Previously, the Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) had said that the Islamic Emirate was committed to freedom of press and asked all media outlets to make use of reliable and trustworthy sources while reporting.
It is worth mentioning that over 300 domestic media and 14 foreign media are currently operating in Afghanistan. Besides, more than 700 journalists including 200 international journalists are active and engaged in making reports in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Daud
Media operating normally under Islamic values, Afghan culture
