The Taliban on Thursday banned the FM radio broadcasts streaming from Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Afghanistan stations, saying that they’re stopped because of non-compliance with journalistic rules and one-sided broadcasts.

Taking to Twitter, Abdul Haq Hammad, who oversees broadcasting for the Ministry of Info and Tradition of the incumbent Afghan administration, mentioned, “Radio Azadi (RL), which began broadcasting after the American occupation, was stopped because of non-compliance with journalistic rules and one-sided broadcasts,” Khaama Press reported.

In keeping with a tweet from Hammad, the Radio Azadi broadcasts have been banned in 13 Afghan provinces.

In the meantime, VOA additionally reported that a new directive from the Afghan Ministry of Info and Tradition has positioned a ban on VOA’s broadcasts, efficient from December 1.

The Voice of America tv program, often called Ashna TV, which had beforehand been broadcast on the Tolo TV, TOLONews, and Lamar TV channels, was suspended on March 27 this yr by the authorities in Afghanistan.

In keeping with the VOA, the ban got here a day after the Taliban’s ministry of knowledge and tradition mentioned it had obtained complaints about programming content material however shared no specifics.

It’s unclear whether or not the ban will apply to different worldwide broadcasters which have used the identical system for FM broadcasts in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan has press legal guidelines, and any community discovered repeatedly contravening these legal guidelines could have their privilege of reporting from and broadcasting inside Afghanistan taken away,” Abdul Qahar Balkhi, who appears to be like the incumbent Afghan administration’s international division, mentioned in written feedback to VOA.

“VOA and Azadi Radio failed to stick to those legal guidelines, had been discovered as repeat offenders, failed to indicate professionalism and had been due to this fact shut down,” VOA quoted Balkhi as saying.

Voice of America started airing radio applications in Dari and Pashto in Afghanistan in October 1980 and July 1982, respectively. Radio Azadi formally began broadcasting in Afghanistan in 2002.

There have been 547 media shops in Afghanistan through the earlier administration, in accordance with Reporters With out Borders, however 219 print, aural, and visible media had been shut down after the present administration assumed energy, in accordance with Khaama Press.

Since taking on final yr, the federal government has positioned quite a lot of limitations on the media and journalists in Afghanistan, together with mandating feminine presenters t cowl their faces whereas on air.

Free press organizations have slammed them with pervasive media censorship and muzzling, harassing reporters, and depriving feminine media employees of the proper to employment, Khaama Press reported.