Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has alleged in an investigative report that the Taliban monitor, threaten and arrest journalists through their intelligence office known as “015.”
According to the organization, since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the office has become a key instrument for monitoring and suppressing the media.
The report adds that the office’s activities are not limited to traditional media outlets, but also extend to monitoring social media platforms and online propaganda activities.
Sylvie Mercier, RSF’s Head of South Asia, said the Taliban had established a system of surveillance, intimidation and repression in which journalists are treated as enemies of the authorities simply for carrying out their professional duties.
She described arbitrary arrests, threats, interrogations and torture of journalists as attempts to create an atmosphere of fear and censorship in Afghanistan.
