The United States and the international community are paying close attention to the actions of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and it is with concern and deep concern that we have learned of the Taliban’s decision to stifle the Afghan people’s access to independent international media. and goals. Media outlets such as Voice of America, the British Broadcasting Corporation and Deutsche Welle have reported that their local broadcast partners have been blocked from airing their programming in the country due to new, unpublished, restrictive Taliban guidelines.
The United States is committed to supporting the right to freedom of expression around the world, especially for journalists and human rights defenders, so they can operate freely without fear of violence against them.
In addition to this restrictive new media policy, the Taliban continue to lead Afghanistan in the wrong direction by failing to honor commitments they have made, including their March 23 decision to prevent girls from going to school. ‘secondary school. Each of these actions is alarming, but taken together, they clearly show that the Taliban is failing to live up to key commitments it has made to the Afghan people and the international community.
Education and freedom of expression are fundamental rights of every person in Afghanistan. These are not Western values or concessions to the international community; they are human rights and they are essential to a peaceful and prosperous Afghan society, which the Taliban claim to want. We urge the Taliban to stop these abuses of Afghan rights, and we continue to stand with the Afghan people.
