Every year, on February 13th ,”World Radio Day” is celebrated around the world, it’s an opportunity to highlight the important role of radio in information, culture and in the promotion of freedom of expression.
In Afghanistan, radio remains the more immediate and accessible medium to reach even the most remote areas and provide essential news, education and awareness, significantly helping social development.
On this day, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) reported a significant increase in restrictions on the activities of radio stations in the country and an unprecedented decline in media freedom.
Last week the Taliban ordered private media in Afghanistan to stop broadcasting political programs until further notice, threatening “serious consequences” for any violations. After the return of the fundamentalist group to the power, restrictions on the media and freedom of expression in Afghanistan are worsening day by day, with severe censorship of news reports, closure of communication channels, and threats and arrests against journalists. In 2024 at least 18 radio and television stations have been closed due to orders from the Taliban or have been subjected to restrictive measures.
An order from the Ministry of Information and Culture recently bans radio and television stations in Kabul from broadcasting any political or economic discussion. This directive dictates that the media can only interact with spokespersons of the administration in power, a decision that AFJC considers a blatant attempt to impose a “one voice policy” and suppress the few remaining critical voices in Afghanistan.
On January 31st the news spread that Sayed Rahim Saeedi, a producer for Afghan private and national radio and television, member of the Filmmakers Union of Afghanistan, editor-in-chief and multimedia content producer of the YouTube channel ANAR Media, was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of anti-Taliban propaganda, without having had the right to a lawyer or a fair trial in court, just for speaking about girls’ right of access to education.
Raha Shams, a journalist from a radio station in Mazar-i-Sharif, confirms that the daily restrictions imposed by the fundamentalist regime have made working conditions increasingly difficult, especially for women. Female journalists, in particular, are not only facing reduced access to information, but many of them have lost their jobs due to the closure of many radio channels.
The Journalists Center of Afghanistan condemned the closure of Radio Begum, in Kabul, a station specialized in educational content for girls, which began broadcasting on 8 March 2021, on International Women’s Day, with the aim of raising awareness of women’s issues.
On February 5, Radio Begum announced on Facebook that Taliban forces raided its Kabul office, arresting two employees, the radio’s sports journalist and Radio Begum’s editor. They also seized computers, hard drives, documents and cell phones from the journalists. The Afghan Journalists Center strongly condemned this violation of freedom of expression, calling for the immediate release of the arrested journalists. In response, the Ministry stated that the station was producing content for a television broadcaster located abroad and indicated that the activities of the station will remain suspended waiting of a “careful review” of its documentation.
Unfortunately, journalism is under attack right now not only in conflict zones, but wherever there are repressive regimes, and silencing the press has become the norm.
“This is the most dangerous time to be a journalist. The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists and demonstrates a major deterioration in global norms around the protection of journalists in conflict zones, but it is not the only place where journalists are in danger. Our data shows that journalists are under attack around the world,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the CPJ-Committee to Protect Journalists.
The media in Afghanistan has been decimated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, journalists, and women journalists especially, are forced to work in a climate of fear that deprives the Afghan people of the right to access information. The free and independent voice of the radio is a fundamental element of social promotion that must be protected, but in Afghanistan it risks remaining shut down.
