Abdul Salam Hanafi, Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister, responded to international criticisms of the media censorship and restrictions in Afghanistan and said that the media is free under the Taliban government.
However, Hanafi stressed that they accept media freedom only within the "framework of the [Taliban] Islamic system and national interests”.
During the past two years, organisations supporting human rights and journalism have expressed their concerns about the deteriorating media situation in Afghanistan.
On September 5, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) denounced the suppression of journalists in Afghanistan under the Taliban control and called for the immediate release of all media workers in Afghanistan.
The organisation added that the detention of journalists has increased in Afghanistan.
On Sunday, reacting to the criticisms, Hanafi in the presence of the media personnel, said, "Here the microphones [of various media outlets] are placed in front of us. There are different definitions of press freedom. We definitely do not have a problem with the freedom of the press and speech, if it is within the Islamic [Taliban] framework and our national interests."
The Taliban, especially the group’s intelligence agency, has been accused of censoring domestic media operations as well as threatening and arresting journalists.
IFJ said that since the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan, media activity in the country has been significantly restricted.
With the Taliban in power and the collapse of many media outlets, journalists have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and have faced severe economic difficulties.
