Taliban Shuts Down Women-Run Radio Station: Yet Another Method Of Silencing Female Voices?

A Taliban official announced on Saturday that they will be shutting down a radio station in Afghanistan's northeast region. The station was run by women and has been closed due to the playing of music during the holy month of Ramadan.

Afghanistan's single women-operated station, known as Sadai Banowan, or "women's voice" in Dari, was established a decade ago with eight members of staff, six of whom are female.

Recently, the radio station resumed its broadcasts after a week of being shut down.

The terrible fate of Women’s Voice: Taliban shuts down women-led radio station

Moezuddin Ahmadi, who holds the position of director for Information and Culture in Badakhshan province, stated that the station had repeatedly violated the "laws and regulations of the Islamic Emirate" by playing songs and music during Ramadan. Consequently, the station was closed due to this violation.

Ahmadi stated that in order for the radio station to resume operations, it must accept the policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and provide a guarantee that it will not repeat such behaviour in the future.

Najia Sorosh, who is the head of the station, refuted any wrongdoing and claimed that shutting it down was unnecessary and part of a conspiracy. She insisted that her team did not transmit any music, which was the reason given by the Taliban for the closure.

At 11:40 am on Thursday, the station was shut down by the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Vice and Virtue Directorate representatives, as mentioned by Sorosh.

According to the Afghan Independent Journalists Association, numerous journalists have been left unemployed in the aftermath of the Taliban's takeover in August 2021. Media outlets have either shut down due to insufficient funds or because their staff members have fled the country.

The Taliban have prohibited women from engaging in most forms of employment and education beyond the sixth grade, including enrollment in universities. However, there is no explicitly stated ban on music. During their prior reign in the late 1990s, the Taliban imposed a prohibition on most forms of broadcast journalism, including television, radio, and newspapers throughout the country.

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