International Day for Universal Access to Information: Information Under the Boots of Taliban Censorship in Afghanistan
- Ariahn Raya
- Sep 28
- 2 min read
While the world commemorates September 28 as “International Day for Universal Access to Information,” in Afghanistan not only is there no news of access to information, but the voice of the media has been silenced under the boots of Taliban censorship and pressure.
Journalists, analysts, and media activists in the country, in conversation with Zan News, speak of a “deadly” state of freedom of expression.
According to them, what is happening in Afghanistan today is not only a clear violation of journalists’ rights but also the complete collapse of independent news institutions.
Hisham, a local journalist in Balkh province, told Zan News: “Access to information is now a dream. When we ask questions, not only do they not answer, but we are threatened. The Taliban practically consider the journalist their enemy.”
He spoke of multiple instances in which the Taliban not only refused to provide information but also arrested or threatened journalists for the “crime of asking questions.”
Habiba Shams, a journalist based in Kabul, with a choked and hopeless voice, said: “Today media are either shut down, have chosen silence, or have turned into propaganda tribunes for the Taliban. We have only one request from the Taliban: let the truth be spoken.”
She added that even unofficial sources are afraid to speak with the media. The fear of pursuit, arrest, and even torture has forced everyone into silence.
Niaz Mohammad Farid, a media expert, described this situation as the “absolute destruction of the information system” in the country. He said: “Today there is either no media, or if there is, it has merely become a propaganda tool for the Taliban. Journalists have either fled, gone silent, or are in prison.”
He warned that if the international community remains indifferent to this trend, Afghanistan will soon turn into one of the largest black holes of information in the world.
While Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the right to seek, receive, and impart information for all, in today’s Afghanistan this article is nothing more than a torn page from history.
The Taliban not only do not tolerate transparency, but they consider truth their enemy.
On the International Day for Universal Access to Information, this bitter question turns more strongly than ever in the minds of Afghan journalists: “When they censor us, threaten us, kill us, and the world only watches, is freedom of expression truly universal or just a privilege for Western countries?”
Today is the day that the silenced voices of Afghan journalists must be heard.
If the world ignores this silence, not only will the media be destroyed, but truth itself will be consigned to oblivion.
