Ravadi Human Rights Institution Reports Taliban Restrictions on Media and Expression in 2025

KABUL (Afghan Verified) — The Ravadi human rights institution released a report stating that the Taliban imposed stricter restrictions on freedom of expression, access to information and media activities in 2025.

Ravadi said Taliban intelligence agencies, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and the Information and Culture Department monitored social media users and in numerous cases threatened, arrested, tortured and mistreated individuals who published information related to human rights violations.

The report stated that local journalists and media outlets cannot collect or publish information without written permission from the Information and Culture Department. Those who violate these rules have been arrested and tortured on charges of "spying for foreigners" or "propaganda against the system."

Ravadi warned that these restrictions have led to widespread self-censorship and the concealment of many human rights violations, severely threatening the personal security of journalists and human rights activists.

The findings indicated that the Taliban have threatened victims' family members, eyewitnesses and local sources to refrain from providing information, and in some cases asked them to share false narratives with the media.

According to the report, prisoners, especially those who have been tortured, have been forced to remain silent about their experiences, limiting access to direct testimonies and increasing the risk of retaliatory actions. Ravadi emphasized that media and human rights organizations have no access to prisons and detention centers, and Taliban officials are prohibited from providing information to independent institutions or media.

The report was announced on Wednesday, 5 Hamal.