Taliban attack and close Afghanistan's only women's radio show
Taliban attack and close Afghanistan's only women's radio show
The Taliban set the operation of the only women's radio station in Afghanistan after searching its premises on Tuesday. This increases the exclusion of women from public life and society since the group was taken over in 2021.
closure of Radio Begum
The Radio Begum, based in Kabul, a broadcaster led by women who focused on the formation of women, reported that employees of the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture retained the staff of the station during the search on the premises in the state capital. The officers confiscated computers, hard drives, documents and telephones of the Begum team, including the broadcaster's journalists. In addition, two male employees of the organization, who do not have managing positions, were taken into custody.
official confirmation of suspension
The ministry later confirmed the closure of the transmitter and called several supposed violations of the "broadcasting policy and the improper use of the broadcast license". This includes, among other things, the "unauthorized provision of content and programs for a television station based abroad". The specific foreign television station was not mentioned, but the ministry said that the future of the broadcaster would be "in due course".
reactions of human rights groups
Reporter Without Borders (RSF), an independent human rights group, condemned suspension and demanded its immediate withdrawal. Before the banished, Radio Begum broadcast six hours a day, including health, psychology and spiritual programs for women in most parts of Afghanistan. The broadcaster stated that they provide education for Afghan girls and support women without "being involved in any political activity".
educational opportunities for women
The sister channels of Radio Begum also offer online lessons that are filmed in Paris in studios thousands of kilometers. The television courses cover a broader spectrum of topics and offer education in a country in which girls are excluded from school attendance after the sixth grade.
The influence of the Taliban on the media
The Taliban, a radical Islamist group that is not recognized by most countries in the world, have strengthened their influence on the media landscape since its takeover over three years ago. At first they presented themselves as more moderate than during their previous rule in the 1990s and even promised that women should be trained up to the university.
tightening the restrictions
However, there was a strict repression that, among other things, was to work for secondary schools for girls and the ban on women, in most sectors and in non -governmental organizations, including the United Nations. In addition, travel restrictions apply without male companions and the ban on entering public spaces such as parks and gyms.