Afghan Government bans criticism of government or U.S. troop presence

Government tries to reintroduce censorship about the security situation

Reporters Without Borders voiced dismay today at recent government initiatives aimed at imposing censorship and self-censorship about the security situation and the presence of foreign troops. News media editors and executives were summoned by intelligence officials and given instructions. Then a list of banned subjects was sent out to editors."

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"Executives and editors of some 10 Afghan news media, including Kabul Weekly, Kilid, Sibat and Tolo TV, were summoned by Hassan Fakhri, an official with the National Security Directorate (NSD) to a meeting at its Kabul headquarters on 12 June. After making a few general remarks about the role of the media, Fakhri distributed a list of bans and restrictions for the media that was signed by NSD director Amrullah Saleh. Fakhri said it could not been copied or circulated."

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"The directive begins by ordering the media not to publish "interviews and reports which are against the presence in Afghanistan of the troops of the International Coalition forces and the ISAF ." It also tells journalists not to interview or film Taliban, not to read the "provocative statements of armed organizations," not to demoralize the army, not to call the Mujahideen "warlords" and not to publish "reports and interviews that are against the government’s foreign policy."