Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A karkashin mulkin mallaka na Zahir Shah, ana mutunta haƙƙin ɗan adam gaba ɗaya. Tun daga shekarar 1949, Firayim Ministan Afghanistan Shah Mahmud Khan, ya kara 'yancin' yan jarida, amma ba da daɗewa ba aka juyar da waɗannan matakan. Dokar Latsawa wacce aka aiwatar a watan Yulin 1965, ta ba da 'yanci sosai ga' yan jarida a karon farko. Duk da yake mafi yawan 'yan jarida suna da' yanci, a wasu lokuta Sarki ya rufe kafofin watsa labarai daga masu adawa da aka yi la'akari da barazana. Jamhuriyar Kwaminisanci ta Khalq wacce ta mallaki Afghanistan bayan Juyin Juya Halin Saur
a shekarar 1978 ya kasance mai zalunci, da karfin gaske yana murkushe adawa. Gwamnati ta yi garkuwa da kuma kashe dubban fursunoni, 'yan adawa fararen hula.