Taliban Shuts Down Radio Station as Media Repression Worsens

Taliban intelligence agents have shut down Kawoon Ghag, a private radio station in the eastern province of Khost, accusing it of operating on “government property,” according to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC).

Taliban officials entered the Kawoon Ghag radio mid-last month ordering it to cease operations, AFJC said in a recent statement citing a local source, adding the broadcasting services were halted in the presence of representatives from the Taliban-run local administration and the Information and Culture Department. 

The statement stated that the ruling authorities then sealed its gate, telling the media outlet’s employees that the building and equipment “belonged to the government, and everything associated with the media would be confiscated.”

Inqilabi Yousefzai, director of Radio Kawoon Ghag, told the Center that the piece of land, where a one-story building was built, was allocated for the radio station under an agreement with the local administration, and its equipment was purchased with funding from InterNews. Established in 2005, the radio station is located in Mehtarlam, the capital of eastern Laghman province.

He had filed a complaint with the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture in Kabul, demanding action.

Despite constant efforts to reopen the radio, Mr. Yousefzai has not received a positive response from authorities, the statement mentioned.

AFJC’s statement also included that a Taliban commission, led by the ruling information and culture minister Khairullah Khairkhwa, will look into the case this week.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the media outlet.

The Taliban has waged a relentless campaign of crackdowns on media outlets and journalists.

During the last three years, almost half of Afghanistan’s once vibrant media have been either forced to cease operations or move their offices abroad as a result of the Taliban’s strict restrictions and continued pressure.

Faced with relentless harassment, many journalists have had to leave their jobs or even flee the country. A survey by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stated that of the 547 media outlets operating in the country in early 2021, over 50% of them have closed down and many international news broadcasts have been banned. RSF also reported that more than 80% of female journalists in Afghanistan have been forced to leave their jobs.

Statistics from the Afghanistan Independent Journalist Union (AIJU) show that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, at least 19 journalists and media workers have been killed, 21 injured, 91 arrested, 38 assaulted, and 48 harassed.