The Taliban’s intelligence and Vice and Virtue police have raided Arezo TV station in Kabul on Wednesday, shutting it down, and arresting seven employees, the media watchdog, the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AfJC) said in a statement.
The station’s equipment, including computers, was confiscated, according to the statement.
On Thursday, the Taliban’s Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice claimed that an investigation uncovered the misuse of Arezo TV’s name and resources, with “unofficial individuals” hired to create and air content deemed “incompatible with Islamic principles and Afghan traditions.”
The Taliban also accused the station of broadcasting programs financed by media organizations in exile.
The raid began at 9:30 a.m., with Taliban intelligence agents reportedly beating a guard, confiscating all employees’ phones, and interrogating them until 3:00 p.m., the statement said.
A notice on the station’s door reads: “The office has been closed until further notice due to the broadcasting of immoral and vulgar series.”
Arezo TV station started operations in 2006 in Mazar-e-Sharif and opened its Kabul office in 2009, the AfJC said. Known for producing news programs, wildlife documentaries, and Islamic series dubbed in Persian, the station has played a significant role in content production in Kabul.
The media watchdog condemned the action as a clear violation of media rights and called for the immediate release of the detainees and the unconditional reopening of the station.
