Taliban Authorities Cancel Most Media Support Organizations’ Licenses, Extend Only Three

The Taliban’s Department of Information and Culture announced on Tuesday, January 24, that it has revoked the licenses of all media support organizations except for three, whose licenses have been extended. The department claimed that the organizations whose licenses were canceled caused “more problems” instead of addressing the issues faced by journalists and the media, damaging the international reputation of Afghanistan’s media institutions. However, no specific details were provided regarding the nature of these damages. The department did not disclose the names of the three organizations whose licenses were renewed nor officially name those whose licenses were revoked. The statement only mentioned that some of these organizations had been inactive. The Taliban authorities argue that revoking the licenses of most media support bodies and limiting operations to three would prevent “exploitation in the name of journalists and media.” This decision comes amid already extensive restrictions, work pressures, and shrinking freedom of media activity faced by journalists and media outlets in Afghanistan, raising concerns about the weakening institutional support for independent media.