The huge bruises and lacerations on Nemat’s back and legs are proof that, despite their public commitments, the Taliban haven’t changed. They still see independent journalism as the enemy.

Nemat’s crime? Having reported on women’s protests on the streets of Kabul.

“They were hitting me with extreme force that I really thought that this was the end of my life,” he told CNN.

Nemat is not alone. An increasing number of journalists report being attacked, detained and threatened by Taliban officials. House to house searches have sent journalists that are critical of the Taliban into hiding and seeking refuge in safe shelters. Many women journalists have been barred from working. Thousands of Afghan media workers are clamouring for visas and desperately searching for ways to flee the country.

Foreign funding for media has dried up and, in the face of an increasingly dramatic economic crisis, advertising and other revenues have vanished.

A combination of financial hardship and strict Taliban rules on what journalists can cover have forced the closure of two-thirds of the country’s media outlets. Unemployment among journalists is estimated at between 70 and 80 per cent.

Nafisa’s (name changed) story is typical. She worked as a reporter for a local TV station in an area which has always had a strong Taliban presence. The station’s main focus was on promoting human rights and, in particular, women’s rights. Since starting work she has received many warnings and death threats by phone and letter from terrorist groups and local Taliban officials.

Speaking to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), she told us: “They warned me by phone about the kidnapping of not only me, but also my family. Besides the threats, I was also attacked. In 2020 bombs were planted at my door, but fortunately, we sorted it out and called the bomb squad. It was a failed attempt for them, but they did not stop. The second time they planted a bomb on the side of the road, where they hit me, my car was completely destroyed, but I managed to escape death. They haven’t stopped until now. Most of the time, the Taliban subjected me to sexual harassment, bullying and torture threats.

“Several times my children were not allowed to go to school. They persecuted them and gave them warnings, saying: ‘If we catch your mum and dad, we will kill them’. Because of all these warnings, my children really got scared, cried, worried, and said that we would no longer go to school.”

She lists a litany of other attacks which have left her suffering mental and physical health issues: “I have become more fearful, depressed, and neglectful. Almost every day I experience nightmares and I am afraid that one day the Taliban would come and kill me and my family. I am really helpless and hopeless to the fact that I cannot live like others and unable to do anything for my family. I am very worried for the future of my children.”

With the Taliban now in control of the whole country Nafisa has gone in to hiding. She regularly has to move and is not able to work. “My family and I are in danger. The Taliban’s words are completely opposite to their actions. They tell the media one thing, but in reality, they do something else.

“We have to change our location daily to hide from the Taliban as they are checking and searching for the people who always talked against them and women who appeared on the radio, television. Living such a life is very hard.”

Now is the time for solidarity

Another female TV journalist who covered the war between the Taliban and government forces echoes her fears.

“I was working as a TV reporter, but after the fall of the government and arrival of the Taliban I had no choice but to once again say goodbye to my job and hide at home in fear of persecution. Considering the high volatility of security in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s brutality against journalists, I’m really at high risk. Being a female journalist who was always in front of the camera and being from the minority Hazara group, my life is under severe threat. I am staying at home these days from the fear of getting recognized, captured, and shot dead.”

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan this August, following the collapse of the Afghan government and the escape of former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to the United Arab Emirates, we at the IFJ have been deluged with stories such as this and pleas for urgent assistance.

While the response of governments has often been woeful, the solidarity of journalists’ unions from across the world has been inspiring – lobbying authorities to issue emergency humanitarian visas, helping to organise evacuations, raising funds to help provide safe shelter and funds for those who have had to flee, providing work opportunities for those in exile.

Hundreds of donations have poured into our special solidarity fund.

What we have been able to do is amazing thanks to the generosity of members of our affiliated unions. On the ground our local affiliates – the Afghan Independent Journalists Association and the Afghanistan National Journalists Union – are channeling emergency support to those most in need, making representations to Taliban officials on behalf of those arrested and providing the only source of hope for so many internally displaced journalists.

But it is a drop in the ocean faced with a humanitarian and media crisis on this scale.

We can’t issue visas, we don’t own the planes that can help those who want to leave. We can’t fund the required number of safe houses or provide the level of funds necessary to help support the survival of media. Governments need to step up. Restrictive visa schemes need to be eased, humanitarian funds provided quickly and media development assistance retargeted to help sustain crucial news outlets.

These are dark days for journalism in Afghanistan. The Taliban accept no dissent from their vision. They want only an official media churning out propaganda.

Independent journalism has the ability to shine a light in to that darkness. Despite the threats, there are brave journalists still working, still striving to hold the new power in Afghanistan to account. They need our support to continue doing so.

It is in these moments that citizens understand that independent journalism is so vital. The IFJ and its affiliates will continue to try to help those who are most at risk to leave but we also remain committed to support as many as possible to stay on the ground, doing their job. Journalism is not a crime.