Mainstream media has forgotten to report about the growing atrocities of the Taliban in Afghanistan, says the award-winning journalist.
By Ruby Winter
Najiba Ayubi had been a journalist in Afghanistan for over two decades. During this time, armed men showed up at her home multiple times, but she continued to work despite the threats. She was managing director of Killid Group, a non-profit media network that includes two of the country’s most popular magazines and eight radio stations. She won the 2013 Courage in Journalism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation in 2013. But when the Taliban came to her door she decided to get her whole family to safety, an ordeal that took them from Afghanistan to Germany and then to the United States. Team TrollBusters spoke with her about the continued presence of the Taliban in the country, their growing restrictions on women and the effects on female journalists.
During the UN CSW you mentioned, “Everyone is talking about Afghanistan, but nobody is doing anything for Afghanistan.” Can you tell us about the conditions there today?
Freedom of expression was considered one of the prides of two decades of the regime in Afghanistan until less than two years ago. Thousands of men and women were working in this sector. The laws regulating freedom of speech were considered the best laws in the region. Both the people of Afghanistan and those who had helped them, during the period 1381-1400, used to remind freedom of speech, as a success and achievement wherever they talked about Afghanistan. In every occasion and celebration, this work report reached both domestic and foreign politicians and project workers and heads of domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations. But soon after, this achievement lost its color under the white flag of the Taliban and sat at the bottom of the international rankings.
From the first day of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, the previous government was abolished, the law of the media and the law of access to information were no longer applicable, and all the mechanisms related to the media and media work in the country were changed.
The Taliban stopped broadcasting music and foreign serials. They announced a ban on the media and imposed extensive censorship on the media. Soon more than 40 percent of the media stopped their broadcasts, although the financial problems that arose after the Taliban came to power was one of the reasons for this. Before the fall of Kabul, 12,000 journalists and media workers were working in this industry. More than 7,000 left Afghanistan for other countries, which is a big challenge for the country’s press.
The Taliban asked all visual media that women presenting news should cover their faces and never appear in a program with any male colleague. These situations caused the journalists and media to be in a state of self-censorship.
If journalists publish and broadcast things that are contrary to the Taliban’s policy, they face the risk of being arrested. So they try not to deal with things that provoke the anger of the Taliban, and not to face the security problems. The whole situation of freedom of expression and circulation of information is not the same as it was before and people have been deprived of their basic rights in this matter.
What were some of the challenges that you faced when you worked in Afghanistan?
Afghanistan is a country that has spent more than four decades in war and insecurity. In the last 20 years, more than 176 journalists have lost their lives. During the period 2002 to 2021 the country was not a safe place for journalists and Afghan media from the security perspective. But despite these problems, we had good progress. There were good years of growth, progress and real participation of women in media work. We struggled with both the government and the hostile groups for a free media and we achieved our goal. We faced many problems; I can even say that facing such problems became a daily routine for us.
It was not easy, but we resisted them and we solved those issues professionally using different strategies. Among these problems was the increased rate of suicide attacks in the cities which was a real threat for us. But we were committed and proceeded with the hope for a better future and a prosperous country. All our colleagues fully supported us in this mission. But the agreement between the United States and the Taliban in Doha destroyed everything we made during the mentioned time.
There have been reports about Afghan journalists being under attack even after leaving the country. Can you share some insight about this?
After August 15, 2021, many journalists left the country. Some reached Western countries with the support of international organizations, which also have their own problems. But some who could not get the support of these organizations are still in the country facing difficult situations. They are wandering aimlessly, they are suffering financial problems and sometimes they are facing the problem of obtaining residence visas.
Some of them went towards other sectors such as pedaling, shopkeeping and mercenary work and said goodbye to the media and free speech. Afghan media and freedom of expression in this country are going through the hardest days of their lives in the last two decades. More than one third of media workers in Afghanistan no longer work in this field. There is no clear vision for the future of freedom of speech and media. Out of 2,000 women in Afghanistan media, more than 340 women are not active now and they are facing many restrictions and threats.
World Press Freedom Day happened on May 5, 2023. In your opinion, what are the challenges of media professionals that should be highlighted on this occasion?
As I said before, the freedom of expression and circulation of information in Afghanistan is at its worst, the media law has been suspended. Taliban intelligence directly intervenes in the media’s internal affairs.
Censorship as a basic principle is being imposed on the existing media, international media publications have been stopped and no voice opposing the Taliban can be observed in the country’s media space. The media that are still operating in the country with so many problems are facing financial problems. The media are one of the most important targets of the Taliban. At a glance, it can be clearly said that if this situation continues, we will not have freedom of expression in Afghanistan in the future as we do not have it now.
Along with the destruction of the previous regime, the country’s army, security-intelligence forces, trade and banking system, higher education – free media and freedom of speech were also destroyed.
You have been a journalist and activist for human rights and freedom of the press for over two decades. This work is not easy. What strategies do you use to take care of your physical and mental health?
I have been engaged in media work for more than three decades and during this time I have faced many problems, I have endured a lot of psychological pressure with my colleagues. I have faced various threats, but I am determined to continue in this profession. Yes, it wasn’t easy and it isn’t, but the use of professional skills and adherence to journalistic standards have helped us to overcome our problems.
But the destructive psychological effects are still with me and remind me of those hard days. It hurts, but I am hoping that one day the media and journalists will be able to provide information in Afghanistan and anywhere in the world without any worries.
What boundaries do you draw in terms of your social media usage or making public appearances in order to limit attacks or threats?
In order to stay safe from online attacks, we use different methods such as: use of security systems in social media platforms, realism and creating trust between the media and people. Control of these attacks is effective in a way that a journalist and media become trusted by the people, and they will face fewer online attacks on the same scale.
You are a part of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT)’s Afghanistan chapter. What advice do you have for female journalists, activists or truth-tellers living in Afghanistan today?
During the years 2021- 2022, IAWRT Afghanistan, which operates under the name AWRT-K, with the support of Internews Afghanistan, conducted two studies on the status of women in the Afghan media. The results of these investigations show that women reporters and media workers in Afghanistan, during the last two years have undergone massive transformation which means that they need the full support of international partners.
My advice and my message to the women journalists in the current situation is that life is the principle; efforts should be made to preserve individual life and security. Especially in the current situation, there are no real defense and protection mechanisms in the country to support them. But in the meantime, the facts should not be sacrificed. I know that telling the facts means playing with the personal security of every journalist. But women journalists can reach their destinations with help from colleagues and friends outside the country.
In December 2022, the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) published a report about the dangers, challenges and changes that female journalists have been facing in Afghanistan since August 2021. Read the full study below.
Ruby Winter is a research associate with TrollBusters. She can be reached at report(at)troll-busters(dot)com.
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