Ministry of Information and Culture denies restrictions on media and arrests of journalists

KABUL: The Ministry of Information and Culture has rejected reports alleging that the government has imposed restrictions on media, martyrdom, and the arrest of journalists in the country, calling these claims baseless.
Khabib Ghufran, the ministry’s spokesman, said in an audio message today that, like all governments worldwide, the Islamic Emirate has laws and policies aimed at improving media activities in the country.
He claimed that the arrest of some journalists is not linked to their media work, as reported, but is related to legal and individual issues.
The spokesman regarded the deaths of two journalists during Pakistan’s aggression against Afghanistan as a “war crime.”
He also emphasized that, due to supportive programs from the Islamic Emirate, approximately 200 new media licenses have been issued in the past four years.
According to him, the presence of hundreds of young people in the media and the specialization of media institutions in the country are signs of improved media activities.
Recently, some media support organizations abroad have published reports about the worsening situation for media in Afghanistan, including the arrests and deaths of some journalists.