An Afghan TV station has been closed for alleged vulgar content and working with banned media, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice alleged that Arezo TV in Kabul collaborated with media outside Afghanistan and paid broadcast workers to copy “vulgar series and programs” that went against Islamic and Afghan principles and traditions.
Ministry spokesman Saif ur Rahman Khyber added that media organizations outside Afghanistan provided financial support for the work in question. He did not name the banned media, but several media outlets are facing severe restrictions, if not outright bans. In May, the government warned journalists against working with Afghanistan International.
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“To reform society and return to the right path, it was necessary to seriously examine these issues,” Khyber said. “The media is free to conduct its activities in accordance with Islamic principles and national interests.”
The Afghanistan Journalists Center said police and ministry officials raided Arezo TV on Wednesday, resulting in the beating of employees, seizure of equipment including phones, and seven arrests.
No one at Arezo TV was available for comment.
Last month, a UN report said there had been 256 arbitrary arrests or detentions of journalists, and 130 cases of torture and ill-treatment since the Taliban returned to power three years ago.
Afghanistan fares poorly in terms of press freedom, ranking 178 out of 180 according to the latest Reporters without Borders index. Last year the country ranked 152nd.
