New crackdown from the Taliban government. Two private television channels deemed too critical, Noor TV and Barya TV, were suspended this week in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Culture and Information confirmed this Thursday April 18 to Agence France-Presse (AFP). It was the country's “Media Violations Commission” which took this measure to suspend the two channels two days earlier, Tuesday April 16, pending a court decision, according to the ministry spokesperson. , Khubaib Ghufran. “ Noor and Barya channels have repeatedly violated Islamic and national values “, And ” speak out against the system “, explained the latter.
“ They broadcast programs to create confusion among the public. Both channels have their owners abroad and broadcast for their respective political parties (…) banned in the country “, continued the ministry spokesperson. “ Their owners will have to come here and answer questions “, he added. Waiting for, ” The Media Violations Commission has suspended their operations and we are awaiting the court's decision “.
Noor TV is owned by Salahuddin Rabbani, former foreign minister, leader of the radical Islamist party Jamiat-e-Islami and son of former warlord and president Burhanuddin Rabbani. He lives in exile. Barya TV is the channel of Habiburrahman Hekmatyar, the son, also exiled, of the former warlord and former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, of the radical Islamist party Hezb-i-Islami.
READ ALSO : “I killed a lot of people, I want to move on”: these Taliban on their way to Europe
“ The only thing you won't get from us is silence », reacted on the X Habiburrahman Hekmatyar platform after the announcement of the suspension. “ Most of Barya TV's programs are religious and Islamic, but the Taliban seek (…) their own interpretations… They are afraid that others will present the true interpretation of religion », he continues in another post.
His father, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who lives in Kabul, recently gave speeches to many supporters that were critical of the Taliban government, notably on the occasion of Eid-El-Fitr marking the end of the month of Ramadan. He was forced by the authorities to change his residence recently. In a statement, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) called for the immediate reopening of the two television channels.
READ ALSO : Refugees in Iran, soon sent back to the Taliban: but what is France doing with 2 auxiliaries of its army?
The center ” strongly condemns (…) an action contrary to the media law and which is a blatant attempt to stifle press freedom “. Many media outlets closed after the Taliban came to power in August 2021 and many journalists had to go into exile. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), journalists are frequently arrested and questioned in Afghanistan, for a few hours or several weeks and work under ” repressive directives “.
