Afghan media outlets accuse authorities of curtailing access to information

Afghanistan’s media watchdog urged the government on Wednesday to heed a demand for more media freedoms after 30 local media outlets said that authorities were increasingly curtailing their access to information.

Sayed Ikram Afzali, the head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, said there is a good law in place guaranteeing the media’s ability to work and access information. However, the government has failed to provide enough funding and institutional support to implement the law, the official added.

Authorities concur that access to information remains a pervasive challenge for Afghanistan and justify existing limitations by the persistent dangers and violence the country faces.

They also warn that a return of the Taliban regime could do away with many hard-won freedoms.