Free Speech Centre: Taliban’s Internet Shutdown is an Extreme and Repressive Action

Source: Free Speech Centre

By completely cutting internet services in Afghanistan, the Taliban have plunged the country into one of the most unprecedented information blackouts. This action, which includes fiber optic and mobile internet, began on Monday at 5 p.m. local time and has deprived millions of Afghan citizens of access to the outside world.

The Free Speech Centre, based in Toronto, in reaction to this Taliban action, described it as “one of the most extreme and repressive measures” since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and strongly condemned it. The center announced that since the internet shutdown, it has lost contact with journalists in 20 provinces of Afghanistan.

Media in Silence, People in Isolation

The internet shutdown has dealt a heavy blow to domestic and exiled media. Many domestic outlets remain silent. Outside Afghanistan, exiled media, which play a vital role in reporting, are now facing serious problems in accessing sources inside the country and verifying the accuracy of reports.

This blackout has not only affected the media; aid organizations and NGOs, including teams active in response to recent earthquakes, cannot contact frontline workers. Banks, government offices, airports, and many of the country’s vital services have been paralyzed.

Women and Girls; Victims Once Again

Women and girls who were already deprived of in-person education in schools and universities have now lost their last opportunity to access online learning with this internet blackout. This Taliban action has closed their final window of participation in public life and tightened the circle of restrictions even further.

An Attack on Fundamental Freedoms

The Free Speech Centre emphasized that this Taliban action is not merely a restriction on internet access but “a direct attack on freedom of expression, media freedom, and the right to access information,” rights guaranteed under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By shutting down the internet, the Taliban have effectively cut Afghanistan’s last bridge of communication with the world and turned the country into a larger prison than ever before.

Call for Global Action

The center has called on the international community and organizations supporting media freedom to increase pressure on the Taliban to end this blackout, protect Afghan citizens’ fundamental right to access information and freedom of expression, and provide alternative communication pathways for journalists and citizens of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan in Darkness

The Taliban’s internet shutdown has not only plunged the people into darkness but has once again exposed the true face of this group, a group that fears awareness, freedom, and truth. Afghanistan now remains in absolute silence, but the voice of freedom and the demand for rights of its people will, sooner or later, rise out of this darkness.