Afghan journalists criticise lack of access to information under Taliban

Kabul [Afghanistan], April 16 : Journalists in Afghanistan have once again denounced the lack of access of information under the Taliban regime in the country and have said that it results in loss of timely coverage for them, TOLOnews reported on Saturday.
The journalists expressed concern over the absence of timely information that prevents them from covering stories and producing news content in a timely manner.
They also said that the de-facto authorities are not cooperating with them in any manner.
Journalist Mustafa Sharyar remarked, "Unfortunately, there are numerous issues with access to information, and we are unable to communicate information to the public on time.
Meanwhile, another journalist, Mohammad Raqeeb Fayaz, according to TOLOnews said that journalists and the media have not yet been given access to information.
According to Afghanistan's National Journalists Union's head, Masroor Lutfi, access to information is a fundamental right of every journalist.
"Access to information is the fundamental right of the people. We call on the Islamic Emirate to provide accurate information to journalists based on existing laws in Afghanistan," he said, reported TOLOnews.
Lack of access to information has been one of the main challenges for journalists in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021.
The ever-increasing restrictions against media in Afghanistan have also drawn widespread criticism globally with the United Nations (UN) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) decrying the arrests, demanding the Taliban stop harassing local journalists and stifling freedom of speech through continued detentions and threats.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in mid-August last year, it rolled back women's rights advances and media freedom revoking the efforts on gender equality and freedom of speech in the country.