Eleven television stations and one radio station have been forced to completely cease their activities
- Three radio stations were closed temporarily and were allowed to resume operations on the condition that they agreed to stop broadcasting music – RSF statement.
Kabul
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has closed 12 media outlets – both public and private – in seven provinces this year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said, Ariananews.af reports.
Eleven television stations and one radio station have been forced to completely cease their activities, while three radio stations were closed temporarily before they were allowed to resume operations on the condition that they agreed to stop broadcasting music, RSF said in a statement.
“The ideological hardening of the Taliban (IEA) in recent months has accelerated repression and increased threats against media outlets in Afghanistan. The proliferation of bans on images of living beings in certain provinces, in particular, has led to a series of closures of television stations,” said Célia Mercier, head of RSF’s South Asia Desk.
She called for the unconditional reopening of all silenced media outlets, so they can continue their mission of informing the people in complete freedom.
The Islamic Emirate says it has shut media outlets serving banned political parties, and some outlets have stopped operating due to economic problems.
Earlier, Political Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai also said that the Islamic Emirate should allow media to operate freely.
Read: UN report reveals widespread restrictions on media freedom in Afghanistan
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Courtesy: Central Asian Light (Posted on December 20, 2024)
