On February 6th, the Taliban raided the offices of Radio Begum, the only national women's radio station in Afghanistan, and subsequently suspended its operations. Outsiders pointed out that this operation has further aggravated the marginalization of women in public life and society since the Taliban came to power in 2021.
Afghan women’s TV station raided by Taliban
Radio Begum is headquartered in Kabul and run by women. Its programs focus on calling for society to pay attention to female education. According to the station, officials from the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture restricted staff while searching its premises in the capital. Officials seized computers, hard drives, documents and mobile phones from station staff, including female reporters, and detained two male employees who were not in senior management positions.
The Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture subsequently confirmed the station's suspension, claiming that the station had committed multiple violations, including violating "broadcasting policies" and "improper use of the station license." One of the charges was "unauthorized provision of content and programs to a foreign television channel." But they did not specify the foreign television channel involved, only stating that would "decide the future of the radio station at the appropriate time".
Independent human rights organization Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned the suspension and called for the station to resume operations immediately. Before being banned, Radio Begum broadcast six hours of courses every day, as well as programs on health, psychology and spirituality, covering women in most parts of Afghanistan. The radio station has always emphasized that it focuses on providing education for Afghan girls, providing support to Afghan women, and never "participates in any political activities." In addition, its sister channel also records lessons in studios in Paris and broadcasts them online. These televised lessons cover a wider range of subjects and provide educational resources in Afghanistan, a country that prohibits girls from attending school above the sixth grade.
Taliban's policy of public opinion control continues to intensify
The Taliban, a radical Islamic organization recognized by only a handful of countries, has continued to tighten its control over the media since taking power more than three years ago. Initially, the Taliban showed a softer stance than when they first came to power in the 1990s, even promising that women would be able to continue their university education. However, a series of subsequent measures have gone in the opposite direction, not only closing girls' secondary schools, banning women from entering universities, working in most industries and non-governmental organizations including the United Nations, but also restricting women from traveling without a male escort, and banning women from entering public places such as parks and gyms.
According to Reporters Without Borders, the Taliban closed at least 12 media organizations last year, both public and private. In the organization's latest press freedom index, Afghanistan ranked only 178th out of 180 countries. In addition, the Taliban regime prohibits the appearance of female voices in public places, including singing, reciting or reading aloud, in accordance with laws related to "encouraging good and punishing evil", which makes it more difficult for Radio Begum to reach female listeners. The closure of Radio Begum this time is undoubtedly another heavy blow to the protection of women's rights in Afghanistan. The international community is paying close attention to this. The future situation of Afghan women and the development of the media environment are full of uncertainties.
