RASC News Agency: The Afghanistan Journalists Center has denounced the Taliban’s suspension order against Noor and Barya TVs as a breach of universal media laws, portraying it as an additional clampdown on the nation’s independent media platforms. In a statement issued by the institution on Wednesday, April 17th, it called upon the Taliban to rescind this directive and to ‘swiftly and unconditionally reopen the doors of these two media outlets.’
The closure of these privately-owned television stations by the Taliban’s Media Complaints and Violations Commission was announced yesterday following a session convened at the Ministry of Information and Culture under the Taliban’s authority in Kabul. Quoting a statement from Zabihullah Sadat, a member of the Taliban’s Media Complaints and Violations Commission, the Afghanistan Journalists Center revealed, ‘The commission scrutinized the operations of Noor and Barya TVs during the meeting and ultimately opted to suspend the activities of both media outlets due to breaches of media ethics and Afghanistan’s national interests.’
According to Sadat, some of the charges leveled against Noor TV include the airing of music and female staff members not wearing masks while on duty. He further disclosed that Barya TV had been cautioned regarding the dissemination of recent remarks by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Islamic Party, concerning the Taliban’s relationship with the United States. Officials from Noor and Barya TVs informed the Afghanistan Journalists Center that the operations of both media outlets have been halted following the Taliban’s directive.
Based on the Afghanistan Journalists Center’s findings, the newly established Taliban Media Complaints and Violations Commission, despite lacking a legal framework, is predominantly wielded as a mechanism to enforce the media agenda of this group’s regime. Throughout their two-year tenure in the country, the Taliban have imposed myriad restrictions on the operations and endeavors of Afghanistan’s independent media, resulting in the shuttering of several media establishments and the displacement of numerous journalists.
