AMSO Warns of Severe Restrictions on Access to Information in Afghanistan
Bareen Media – The Afghan Media Support Organisation (AMSO) says people and journalists in Afghanistan face severe restrictions on access to free and independent information.
In a statement marking the International Day for Universal Access to Information on Monday, September 28, the organisation said legal and institutional mechanisms for accessing information have been weakened or removed, while official data and social information are often withheld.
AMSO said journalists seeking independent information face threats, detention and other forms of pressure. It identified interference by Taliban intelligence officials and morality enforcers as major obstacles to journalists’ work.
The organisation said arrests, searches, humiliation and psychological and physical pressure on journalists have contributed to growing self-censorship and made independent reporting more difficult.
AMSO called on international human rights organisations and independent media groups to increase legal, political and diplomatic pressure on the Taliban. It also urged the United Nations to document violence against journalists, detentions and restrictions on access to information in Afghanistan.
