RASC News Agency: The Freedom of Expression House has condemned in the strongest terms the Taliban’s closure of Arezo TV, urging the group to end its relentless crackdown on independent media. In a statement released on Thursday, December 5, the organization disclosed that Taliban intelligence agents, accompanied by officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, raided the Arezo TV office in Kabul.
During the raid, they reportedly confined around 20 employees in a single room. The statement further revealed that Taliban operatives seized employees’ mobile phones and inspected the network’s computer systems for stored data. Additionally, six employees were arrested on accusations of collaborating with exiled media organizations. The Afghanistan Journalists Center had earlier corroborated reports of the Taliban’s raid on Arezo TV.
Recent days have seen the Taliban impose increasingly draconian restrictions on media outlets across Afghanistan. Ironically, the channel’s owner, Kamal Nabizadah, has been one of the Taliban’s most prominent supporters over the past three years. Through sustained lobbying efforts in Central Asia and Russia, Nabizadah, along with businessman Alokozai, played a critical role in forging ties between the Taliban and Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan. Allegations suggest that bribes facilitated their efforts, ultimately securing Vladimir Putin’s tacit endorsement of the Taliban regime.
However, the Taliban’s abrupt closure of Arezo TV illustrates their readiness to target even their own allies. By silencing the channel, the Taliban have underscored their disregard for past loyalties, sending a stark warning to those who have served as their intermediaries on the global stage.
