ISLAMABAD (AP) – The Taliban’s intimidation, threats and attacks on Afghan journalists are unacceptable, the UN said Wednesday, as it expressed concern for the future of the country’s media.

Many journalists lost their jobs after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, with media outlets closing over a lack of funds or because staff left the country. Women journalists face additional hardships because of work bans and travel restrictions.

During their previous rule in the late 1990s, the Taliban barred most television, radio and newspapers in the country.

The UN mission in Afghanistan said that although journalists continue to work, they are forced to navigate “unclear and often arbitrary boundaries of reporting against an ever-present threat of repression and closure.”

Its comments coincide with World Press Freedom Day, which is observed May 3.

The UN secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, said the day was a moment to show solidarity with the Afghan journalists trying to maintain independent reporting.

“Journalists are being forced to make editorial decisions based on fear, not public interest,” said Otunbayeva. “The persistent intimidation, threats, and attacks on journalists are unacceptable. We urge the Taliban de facto authorities to guarantee the freedom and independence of the media, and the safety of journalists, women and men alike.”

Deputy Broadcasting Minister Mahajar Farahi denied that journalists face obstacles in Afghanistan, saying the media is carrying out its activities in a normal way.

 

‘Interfering With 

NGO Work’ 

 

Meanwhile, a report said Wednesday a Taliban militant fired his rifle into the air at a food distribution event in Afghanistan, an example of their harassment of nongovernmental groups operating in the country.

The Taliban last December barred Afghan women from working at NGOs allegedly because they weren’t wearing the hijab, or observing gender segregation rules. In April, they said this ban extended to the UN.

It is being actively enforced by the country’s intelligence agency, which reports to the Taliban’s leadership in Kandahar, although their chief spokesman says there are no obstacles for UN operations in Afghanistan.

The latest quarterly report from the watchdog for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan, SIGAR, cited examples of Taliban interference and harassment of NGOs, including the rifle incident.

Organizations face security risks and harassment at Taliban checkpoints, unannounced Taliban visits to NGO offices, repeated requests for information on work plans, budgets, operations, and personnel, and demands for increased involvement in project decision-making and implementation.