Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities is focusing on worldwide media with broadcasting bans, because the militant group continues to crack down on civil liberties within the nation.
On Monday, DW’s Afghan service mentioned some DW programming will now not be rebroadcast by Afghan companions.
The BBC mentioned Sunday that information bulletins in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek are to be taken off air, in line with the UK’s nationwide broadcaster.
Free media ‘essential’ for Afghanistan improvement: DW
The Taliban broadcasting crackdown targets DW’s political speak present “Aashti” in Dari and in Pashto on native companion ToloNews. Science packages broadcast on Ariana TV and Shamshad have been additionally affected.
“The increasing restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Afghanistan are very worrying,” mentioned DW Director-General Peter Limbourg.
“The fact that the Taliban are now criminalizing the distribution of DW programs by our media partners is hindering positive developments in Afghanistan. Free media is essential for this and we will do everything we can to continue to provide the people of Afghanistan with independent information via the internet and social media,” he added.
“Since the Taliban took power, the people of Afghanistan have been waiting in vain for their living conditions to improve, or at least for some degree of normality,” Limbourg mentioned.
Afghans should not be denied ‘independent’ journalism: BBC
“This is a worrying development at a time of uncertainty and turbulence for the people of Afghanistan,” the BBC mentioned.
Tarik Kafala, who’s head of languages on the BBC World Service, mentioned that greater than 6 million Afghans consumed BBC’s “independent and impartial journalism” and mentioned that it was essential that they not be denied entry.
“We call on the Taliban to reverse their decision and allow our TV partners to return the BBC’s news bulletins to their airwaves immediately,” Kafala mentioned in a press release tweeted by BBC anchor and correspondent Yalda Hakim.
The Taliban can also be blocking broadcasts from the US worldwide broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) in Afghanistan, Germany’s dpa information company reported.
Taliban spokesperson Abdul Haq Hammad confirmed to dpa that VOA’s tv broadcasts on Afghan channels had been stopped.
Many journalists fled Afghanistan when the Taliban seized management in August 2021. The Taliban’s transfer to halt worldwide broadcasters from working comes days after the group backtracked on a call to reopen women’ secondary faculties.
