Taliban Takeover: How over 6,400 Journalists in Afghanistan Lost Their Jobs, Report Shows
- Media houses in Afghanistan are closing down as press freedom appears to have been hampered by the Taliban-led government
- Over 231 media organisations have shut down, with not less than 6,400 Afghan journalists losing their jobs since the takeover
- Journalists covering conflicts and protests are reportedly being subjected to attacks, harassment and verbal threats in the country
A recent survey has revealed that over 6,400 journalists might have lost their jobs in Afghanistan following the takeover of the helms of government affairs by the Taliban fighters.
The overwhelmingly revealing research was conducted by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) as media personnel continue to face attacks in the troubled Asian country.
Source: Getty Images
According to the RSF/AIJA survey, not less than 231 media organisations have shut down in what political analysts said may hamper the press freedom under the new dispensation.
More media houses are closing
In a statement on its website, the RSF said "of the 543 media outlets tallied in Afghanistan at the start of the summer, only 312 were still operating" at the end of November 2021.
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
"This means that 43% of Afghan media outlets disappeared in the space of three months," the body further posited.
Emerging reports from Afghanistan have always shown that there is an increasing crackdown by the Taliban on journalists as media personnel covering protests and rallies have been subjected to harassment by Taliban fighters.
Attacks on journalists increase
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that with the Taliban now in the helms affairs after the withdrawal of the US troops by President Joe Biden, cases of violence are being recorded in Afghanistan against the reporters under the new dispensation.
Masroor Lufti, the head of Afghanistan's National Journalists Union (NJU), made this known to the press, adding that at least 30 cases of violence against the pressmen were discovered after a survey by the body.
Lufti said the "90%" of the attacks on the country's journalists part of which involved the physical beating and verbal threats were carried out by the Taliban. He further briefed the media that other cases were carried out by people yet unknown. The journalists' body's leader called for protection for media men.
Source: Legit.ng
