freedom of expression, freedom of media, and free information have completely lost their meaning in our country, and we find ourselves in the darkest period of Afghanistan’s history.
Afghanistan, which had made remarkable progress in the fields of information and freedom of expression over the past two decades compared to other countries in the region and neighbors, unfortunately with the Taliban’s domination, has returned to square one in the realm of freedom of expression as well. The current suffocating atmosphere has deprived the media in particular of any room to breathe. While three years ago, a large number of visual, audio and print media outlets operated freely in Afghanistan, now only a few limited media continue to operate, and they too do not have the ability to convey the bitter facts and realities of the country.
Over the past nearly three years, the overwhelming majority of media professionals and Afghanistan’s young generation who were active in awareness-raising and news reporting have migrated out of the country and live in exile and displacement, which is a major blow to Afghanistan’s progress and development.
The National Resistance Council congratulates all journalists and media professionals on the arrival of the (27th of Hoot) March 17th, National Journalists’ Day, and hopes that our country will once again witness the presence of media professionals and the growing expansion of free media.
Although the reclusive Taliban group has now blocked any free information and news, we hope that media professionals and free media, using the facilities provided by the age of communications and technology, will not forget Afghanistan, keep human narratives alive, and make free and impartial reporting the principle of their professional work.