FM radio broadcasts from Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) stations in Afghanistan will be banned from December 1, according to a directive issued by the Taliban’s ministry of information and culture.
The authorities have cited complaints they have received about programming content, but have not provided further details.
Abdul Haq Hammad, an official at the Taliban’s Information Ministry, said in a tweet on December 1 that the move was made “due to noncompliance with journalistic principles and one-sided broadcasts.”
It is also unclear whether the ban will apply to other international broadcasters that have used the same system for FM broadcasts in Afghanistan.
VOA and RFE/RL are U.S. government-funded news organizations that operate with journalistic independence and aim to provide comprehensive, balanced coverage.
VOA’s Afghan services broadcast 12 hours a day on 15 FM channels and two medium wave (MW) channels, with programming split between Pashto and Dari.
Dari and Pashto radio programs, first started in the 1980s, reach millions of listeners across the country and are widely respected as credible and reliable.
Since the Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021, dozens of private television channels, radio stations and print media have reportedly ceased operation because of economic hardships and Taliban restrictions.
According to the press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 219 video, audio and print shops have been closed in Afghanistan since the return of the Taliban.
This story first appeared on RadioInfo.asia