The Taliban’s Lock on the Pen and Voices of Journalists

March 17, observed as National Journalists Day in Afghanistan, is being celebrated by some organizations that support freedom of expression and the media, while due to the misogynistic restrictions imposed by the Taliban government, many female journalists have been erased from the media landscape in the country.

Female journalists, on the occasion of National Journalists Day, say that with the restrictions imposed by the Taliban, not only have women and girls been removed from the media landscape, but the people's right to freedom of expression has been stripped away and the channel for expressing this right has been stifled.

Rabia Salar (a pseudonym), one of the girl journalists who has depicted the pain and suffering of the people through her camera lens for over four years, says that she now faces severe challenges and that the Taliban do not allow girls to conduct field reporting. She adds that despite the strict prohibitions imposed by the Taliban, she loves her work and the encouragement from the people gives her special energy to continue her work and activism.

Salar, speaking with Zan TV, said that today, Monday (March 17), which is National Journalists Day in Afghanistan, she went to one of the hospitals in Herat province to prepare a news report. However, the fact that a doctor congratulated her on this day demonstrates the people's support for women and girl journalists. "Although the Taliban have restricted our lives and activities and narrowed the scope of our media work, the people support women and girl journalists who continue their work with courage. Today, I went to a hospital to prepare a report, and one of the doctors congratulated me on this day. I was very happy—this means the people's support for women journalists."

Maliha Faiq, another journalist who has not only lost her job due to the Taliban's restrictions but has also been forced to leave the country. She says that because of carrying out programs and producing video reports, she received several warnings from the Taliban, and now, in order to escape the trap of their prison, she has resorted to emigrating to Iran.

Faiq, speaking with Zan TV, said: "There are four of us in my house; my father passed away, and I used to live with my two sisters and my mother, but when the Taliban recently increased their restrictions and told me that I should not continue my media work, I had to take myself out of the country alone. For now, I am in Iran, bewildered and adrift."

At the same time, some of the female journalists who continue their media work in the country are complaining about severe media censorship. They say that the Taliban have locked down freedom of expression and are preventing the objective dissemination and broadcasting of the facts.

Shahnaz Ebrahimkhil, one of the female journalists, says in this regard: "Under the current circumstances, we can’t even speak of freedom of expression or the dissemination and broadcasting of real news, because the Taliban have stripped us of our freedom of expression. Just look at the state of the media; the girls have disappeared from the pages."

She adds that with the Taliban's arrival and the imposition of their restrictions over the past three years, many female journalists have been forced either to leave their posts or even to leave the country. "Many of my colleagues have been forced either to leave the country or to sit at home because the Taliban have sidelined them using various pretexts. Even today, they do not allow us to participate in news conferences or even in public programs or exhibitions; we have to ask our male colleagues for help with news coverage."

This comes as many journalists, including women, have left the country since the Taliban came to power. However, the International Federation of Journalists, in a recent report, described the situation of journalists in neighboring countries as worrisome.

The organization stated that exiled Afghan journalists are not only concerned about threats from the Taliban, but in the second countries where they reside as a stepping stone to reach a third country for asylum, they are also under the threat of forced deportation.

It is worth noting that since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the media have been severely restricted, and female journalists have been forced to remain at home.