Radio Begum’s content was produced entirely by Afghan women, many of whom are now under intense scrutiny.
Digital Desk: The Taliban has suspended Radio Begum after authorities raided its Kabul offices, it is the only radio service operated by women. The Ministry of Information and Culture levied accusations against Radio Begum for sharing content with an international TV channel leading to an increase of pressure on women employed at stations under Taliban administration.
The radio station Radio Begum started its broadcasting operation just five months before the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 while offering vital educational broadcast programs for Afghan women. The educational broadcasts on Radio Begum presented at least six hours of programs daily which specialized in spiritual guidance and health knowledge as well as psychological information to empower Afghan women.
Taliban officials executed a raid that resulted in their possession of important equipment from the station staff including computers and hard drives along with files and phones during the incident. Even though the raid ended in detaining two male workers they were not ranked in senior management positions. The entire broadcasting content at Radio Begum was produced entirely by Afghan women, many of whom are now under intense scrutiny.
The Taliban did not name the specific foreign TV channel but they inspect the operations of Begum TV which provides educational TV programs to students in grades 7 to 12 through its broadcasting center in France.
The Taliban claims that Radio Begum conducted broadcasting without following official policies and abused its authorized broadcasting rights. Hardline Taliban forces have now attacked media outlets two times regarding supposed foreign operational partnerships. In May 2024 the Taliban issued an order instructing journalists to stop working with the independent Afghanistan International TV that broadcasts from abroad.
This new move is part of the Taliban’s broader crackdown to suppress every avenue for women to express themselves in Afghanistan as the leadership heightens its clampdown on both media and educational institutions.
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