CPJ calls on Taliban to drop plans to restrict Facebook access in Afghanistan

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 08 (APP): The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Taliban not to move ahead with their plans to restrict or block access to Facebook in Afghanistan, saying that would further impede the free flow of information in the country. On April 6, Najibullah Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, announced that they have finalized a plan to restrict or completely block access to Facebook in Afghanistan

“The Taliban’s plan to restrict or block access to Facebook would be a further blow to freedom of information in Afghanistan,” Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia programme coordinator, said in a statement. “Social media platforms, including Facebook, have helped to fill a void left by the decline of the Afghan media industry since the Taliban’s August 2021 takeover and the ensuing crackdown on press freedom,” she said. “The proposed ban highlights the worsening censorship by the Taliban.”

Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms widely used by media outlets to disseminate news and information in Afghanistan, including TOLOnews, which has over 4.5 million followers on Facebook, CPJ pointed out. When contacted, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid told CPJ via messaging app that “Facebook will not be banned but restrictions will be imposed on it,” according to the press release.