US concerned at Taliban’s curbs on foreign media

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United States has voiced deep concern over the Taliban’s decision to stifle the Afghan people’s access to independent international media sources.

The US and the international community were paying close attention to the Taliban’s actions in Afghanistan, the State Department said on Monday.

The Voice of America, the BBC and Deutsche Welle say their local broadcasting partners have been barred from airing their programming in the country due to the Taliban’s guidelines.

In a statement, the State Department reaffirmed the US commitment to supporting the right of freedom of expression the world over.

It especially supported the right to freedom of expression for journalists and human rights defenders to operate freely without fear of violence against them.

The US accused the Taliban of continuing to move Afghanistan in the wrong direction by failing to uphold commitments they have made, including their March 23 decision to prevent girls from attending secondary school.

“Each of these actions alone is alarming. But combined, they make clear the Taliban are not living up to the essential commitments they made to the Afghan people and the international community.”

Education and freedom of expression are human rights held by every person in Afghanistan, not Western values or concessions to the international community according to the statement.

The US urged the Taliban to cease these infringements on the rights of Afghans, and “we continue to stand with the Afghan people”.

PAN Monitor/mud