RASC News Agency: The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has reported that local broadcasts of National TV in Kandahar have been officially halted under the Taliban’s new “Amr bil Maroof wa Nahi anil Munkar” (Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) law. In a statement released yesterday September 3, the AFJC condemned the suspension of National TV’s Kandahar unit, calling it a violation of media laws and a “significant setback” for visual media operations in the country.
The statement highlighted that although National TV in Kabul and other provincial units had limited freedom and fairness in their coverage, even this restricted level of activity has become intolerable in Kandahar. According to the AFJC, the order to halt National TV’s operations in Kandahar was verbally communicated to the station’s staff by the local Taliban authorities on August 14, but the directive was only recently made public.
The AFJC noted that the activities of National TV in Kandahar had already been curtailed last year following an order from Mullah Shirin Akhund, the Taliban governor in Kandahar, which banned photography and videography at official and unofficial meetings. However, these restrictions intensified last month after the enactment of the new law on the Propagation of virtue and prevention of vice.
Article 29 of the new Taliban law states that broadcasting devices, radio, and similar items, as well as watching live images and films on computers, mobile phones, and other similar devices, are prohibited and should be stopped. The AFJC has called on Taliban authorities in Kandahar to reconsider their decision to halt National TV’s operations in the province. The center has urged the Taliban to allow media outlets to operate freely in accordance with media laws, enabling journalists to work without fear. However, it has been observed that the Taliban are determined to implement their agenda regardless of protests from the public and international organizations.
