The Taliban continue to impose severe restrictions and censorship on the media, recently shutting down Naraiman Radio in Badghis province. Last week, they arrested three employees of the station in Qadis district and released them after four days of detention, following a guarantee. In a separate action, the Taliban disrupted the flow of information by heavily jamming the satellite frequencies of the Afghanistan International News Network, severely curbing freedom of speech.
Sources in Badghis told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban halted Naraiman Radio’s broadcasts and arrested several of its staff. A week has passed, and the station remains off the air.
One local source, speaking anonymously, said, “For three days and nights, three Naraiman Radio employees were held in Taliban custody. Last week, the Taliban came to the radio office and stopped its broadcasts.” The source added that the Taliban gave no reason for shutting down the station or detaining its staff.
Another source reported that the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) had recently supported Naraiman Radio and Oboor Radio TV in Badghis as part of a media protection program. The Taliban, aware of this support, then shut down Naraiman Radio and arrested its staff. They also ordered all media outlets and NGOs in the province not to accept donor-funded projects without informing the group.
The source added, “Naraiman Radio’s broadcasts were fully censored and controlled by the Taliban. No event was covered without their approval. The only reason we found is that the station received a project to produce documentaries and informational clips about Afghanistan’s historical issues. Upon learning of this, the Taliban detained the staff and halted its broadcasts.”
Hasht-e Subh Daily confirmed that Naraiman Radio focused on historical topics and documentaries, without violating Taliban policies. Despite this, the group stopped the broadcasts and jailed the staff.
Another source revealed that local efforts were made to resolve the issue through dialogue after the staff’s detention. However, according to the source, Matiullah Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Director of Information and Culture in Badghis, does not recognize media freedom, given his background in the Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Muttaqi had repeatedly criticized Naraiman Radio employees in official meetings and in front of the media and ultimately shut down the station without providing any justification. The source claimed Muttaqi held the station hostage, refusing to comply with directives from Kabul. He also insisted that all commercial advertisements must be approved by him and decided which outlets would receive them.
The Taliban suspended Naraiman Radio’s activities just as they were heavily jamming Afghanistan International’s satellite frequencies, further restricting the flow of information and violating press freedom.
Afghanistan International condemned the jamming as a violation of press freedom and introduced a new satellite frequency to ensure continued access to free news for its audience.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) expressed grave concern, calling on Taliban officials to immediately and permanently stop the jamming of Afghanistan International’s frequencies and allow citizens unrestricted access to media.
The AFJC also reported that, over the past three years, the Taliban have issued at least 17 media-related directives that contradict media laws. These directives include prohibiting women from working at Radio Television Afghanistan, segregating men’s and women’s roles in the media, banning interviews between men and women, and other restrictions.
In addition to censorship and media restrictions, the Taliban have imposed several bans on female journalists. Orders have barred women from appearing on television without covering their faces, and many local radio stations have been instructed not to broadcast women’s voices.
Earlier, Reporters Without Borders noted that 2023 was marked by the continued exclusion of female journalists, with Taliban restrictions showing no signs of easing.
Over the past 19 years, 132 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan. The previous government attributed 67% of these killings to the Taliban. Afghan journalists have repeatedly expressed fear, repression, and despair, stating that they are forced to self-censor to survive.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
فشارهای طالبان علیه آزادی بیان؛ فعالیت رادیو نریمان در ولایت بادغیس متوقف شد | روزنامه ۸صبح
