New York, February 6, 2025—Taliban intelligence agents raided the Kabul station of Radio Begum on Tuesday, February 4, suspended broadcast operations, detained two unidentified media workers, and confiscated documents and essential broadcasting equipment, including computers, hard drives, and mobile devices.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture accused the outlet of “non-compliance” with regulations and collaboration with an unnamed foreign-based television network. The ministry said it was investigating the broadcaster’s activities but did not specify a date to end the suspension.
The outlet refuted the accusations in a statement, according to a report by London-based broadcaster Afghanistan International.
“The Taliban must immediately rescind its suspension of Radio Begum’s operations and allow the station to resume its reporting without interference,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “The forced closure of Radio Begum is part of a broader, systematic assault on women’s rights in Afghanistan, particularly targeting women-led and women-owned media organizations. This practice must end, and the international community must hold the Taliban accountable for these actions.”
Founded in 2021, just months before the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Radio Begum is a women-led media broadcaster in Kabul that also posts on social media, particularly Facebook. In November 2023, its sister channel, Begum TV, was launched in Paris with a grant from the Malala Fund, which advocates for girls’ education globally.
CPJ’s messages to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid requesting comment did not receive a response.
In March 2023, the Taliban shut down women-run broadcaster Radio Sada e Banowan, citing the airing of music during the holy month of Ramadan. The station was permitted to resume operations on April 7 and continues to report on news about women in the city of Faizabad in northeastern Badakhshan Province.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
Committee to Protect Journalists | Radio Free (2025-02-06T15:42:58+00:00) Taliban detains 2 media workers, suspends women-run broadcaster Radio Begum. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/02/06/taliban-detains-2-media-workers-suspends-women-run-broadcaster-radio-begum/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.