The Ministry of Information and Culture announced that it had stopped FM broadcasts by the Voice of America in 13 of the country’s 34 provinces and suspended nationwide broadcasts by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
KABUL — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Thursday blocked transmissions by two news radio stations funded by the U.S. government, saying they had repeatedly “failed to adhere” to government press laws, “violated journalistic principles” and aired “one-sided broadcasts.
Radio remains a crucial source of information and news in Afghanistan, a country where millions of people live in poor rural villages and illiteracy remains high.The crackdown drew immediate protests from officials at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees both channels. Amanda Bennett, the agency’s chief executive, said the ban “will be seen for what it truly is, an effort to restrict Afghan citizens’ access to uncensored information.
Afghan officials did not provide specific examples of objectionable content in the broadcasts, but the government has expressed growing displeasure with what it calls unfair and inaccurate depictions of its actions and beliefs by international media, foreign officials and other critics abroad. In separate recent comments, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said the government is requesting that foreign media use certain language when describing the regime and its actions. He said officials were preparing to issue several rules that would formally require the use of such language.
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