On August 17, as the dust settled on the Taliban's swift takeover of Kabul, the group’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid held a press conference to set out an immediate agenda.
Speaking to a room of reporters, he presented assurances that the Islamic Emirate would respect women's rights and said press freedoms would be protected.
The Taliban is committed to protecting the rights of media workers, Mr Mujahid assured, and added that the "private media can continue to be free and independent".
Ahead of what is expected to be an , a number of journalists and media workers have not returned to the workplace, and many have even boarded evacuation flights out of the country.
SBS Dari understands female reporters have been prohibited from returning to work at the state-run Radio Television of Afghanistan (RTA), but those working in the private media sector are allowed to return.
Stories of mistreatment directed at female workers immediately following the Taliban takeover has convinced veteran RTA journalist Muska Noori that her workplace is not safe.
She has not attended her workplace since the Taliban entered Kabul over fears she will be rejected and mistreated at the front gates.
Muska Noori (R) and a colleague reporting from the Afghan presidential palace. Source: Supplied by source
She tells SBS Dari that when the Taliban issued a statement calling on Afghans to return to work, a handful of her female colleagues attended their places of employment before they were turned away.
"They had entry cards with them, they were not only stopped from working but they were treated badly," she says.
"After my colleagues returned back [to their homes] and I heard about their mistreatment by the Taliban, I got scared and didn’t return to work. Personally, I don't feel safe."
Ms Noori says the atmosphere in Kabul is “not normal” and women are already having a lesser presence in society.
She’s calling on the international community to pay "urgent attention" to the issues in the country experiencing a “great crisis”.
"My expectation from Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada is that refugees in those countries should never be returned back to Afghanistan. However, they should also accelerate the evacuation from Afghanistan," she says.
The countries which provide humanitarian assistance should take urgent actions for the safety and secure the transfer of journalists [from Afghanistan] because their own and their families' lives are in great danger.
Fawad Akbarzai is a news and current affairs anchor at Tolo News, a privately-owned 24-hour news channel in Afghanistan.
He says despite the Taliban promise of an amnesty on the day it took power in Kabul, he believes it is too early to judge what will happen to journalists.
Fawad Akbarzai (L) during a live broadcast. Source: Supplied by source
"In my opinion, we should wait and see how the Taliban treats independent media and journalists," he says.
At least in the next few months, a clear picture of the situation of journalists in Afghanistan will emerge.
In May 2021, Mr Akbarzai’s former colleague at Tolo News - journalist Nemat Rawan - was shot dead in southern Kandahar.
The attack, which police said was an "assassination by unknown gunmen” was one of a number of journalist killings in the country over the past few years.
Mr Akbarzai tells SBS Dari since the Taliban captured Kabul, he has been back in the office only once and he plans to continue working remotely over fears of what may lay ahead.
Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, talks with journalists during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, 17 August 2021. Source: EPA
"I don’t remember the Taliban regime before 2000, I only remember the faces of Taliban from that time," he says.
"As a young man, life under the rule of Taliban is a new experience for me. A journalist should be sceptical about issues until the truth is known. The current situation is also a dubious situation, the future will tell everything.”
He says fears are rife within the media industry in the country.
"Most of the experienced and former [Afghan] journalists who I have spoken to, are keen to leave the country, everyone has their own reasons.
"To ensure the safety of the lives of journalists, there must be an international guarantee for journalists to work professionally and that the government will not threaten or obstruct them."
'Deeply uncertain'
Amnesty International Australia campaigner Nikita White tells SBS Dari that despite the development of a “vibrant and free press” in Afghanistan over the past two decades, the advocacy group is “concerned that as with the rest of civil society, its future is now deeply uncertain”.
“Under the rule of the Taliban in the past, all media was banned except for one approved pro-Taliban outlet.
“And even though the Taliban has denied responsibility, journalists have also frequently been subject to targeted attacks, harassment and intimidation in recent years.”
Ms White says amid the current crisis, Amnesty is aware of “extremely concerning reports” of journalists in hiding and there is already a notable change in the editorial line of many Afghan media outlets in avoiding any criticism of the Taliban.
“Australia should absolutely prioritise groups which have been historically targeted by the Taliban including ethnic minorities, human rights defenders and journalists.
“The immediate priority for the international community must be to protect those most at risk from Taliban reprisals. Foreign governments must take every necessary measure to ensure the safe passage out of Afghanistan for all those at risk of being targeted by the Taliban.
This includes expediting visas, delivering support for evacuations from Kabul airport, providing relocation and resettlement, and suspending all deportations and forced returns.
She’s calling on the UN Security Council to adopt an emergency resolution calling on the Taliban to respect international human rights law, protect civilians, and end reprisal attacks, as negotiations on transitional arrangements continue.
