From DW:
“Taliban hit Voice of America
with broadcast ban”
Voice of America (VOA) and the AP
press agency reported that Taliban authorities banned radio broadcasting from
VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in Afghanistan from Thursday. According to VOA, the Taliban authorities
cited "complaints they have received about programming content" as
reason for the ban. However, there were no further details provided about the
alleged complaints, VOA shared in a press statement. Both VOA and RFE are funded by the US
government, but "operate with journalistic independence and aim to provide
comprehensive, balanced coverage," the statement continued. Whether or not
the ban will be extended to other international broadcasters in Afghanistan
remains unclear at this point. In March, some parts of DW's Afghan programing
were stopped from being rebroadcast by Afghan partners, and BBC news bulletins
in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek also taken off air.
Taliban say VOA and RFE
'failed to show professionalism' Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman
Abdul Qahar Balkhi told AP his country had laws regulating the media and any
network that was "repeatedly contravening" them would be banned. "VOA
and Azadi Radio (Radio Liberty) failed to adhere to these laws, were found as
repeat offenders, failed to show professionalism and were therefore shut
down,'' he said. The Taliban regime has been cracking down on press
freedom in the country by imposing restrictions on media and journalists since
seizing power last year. Since
the Taliban takeover, the number of Afghanistan media outlets decreased by 40%,
while the number of journalists dropped by 60%, according to Reporters Without
Borders.
^ This is not surprising. The
Taliban don’t want anyone to report the truth of their abuses. ^
https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-taliban-hit-voice-of-america-with-broadcast-ban/a-6394972
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.