Sawt Falasteen - Afghan TV station shut for working with 'exiled' media, 6 detained

The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) accused people working within Arezo TV of providing content to Afghan media based outside the country, which have been heavily restricted and criticised by the Taliban authorities.

"Some people were using the name of Arezo TV to carry out actions that were contrary to Islamic values and national traditions," the PVPV said in a statement announcing the station's closure.

"It became clear that some people had used the name and building of Arezo TV as well as their position in the media outlet to pay temporary workers to dub vulgar serials and programmes that were against Islamic and Afghan principles and traditions with the financial support of exiled media outlets outside the country," it said.

Two employees with Arezo told AFP on condition of anonymity that six people were arrested when the office was raided.

Around eight Taliban officials -- including one who was armed -- entered the Kabul office mid-morning on Wednesday and separated men from women before taking their phones and information, one source said.

"The office is sealed, and they asked us to wait for further orders -- either the office will be reopened again or shut down," he said.

A second Arezo TV employee said the six detained employees were still in custody and under investigation by PVPV.

As of Thursday afternoon, Arezo TV was not broadcasting in Kabul, AFP journalists said.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), a press freedom group, said Taliban intelligence officers and morality police had raided the office, citing an employee saying the staff were "mistreated" and that their phones and computers were confiscated.

The channel, founded in 2006 in northern Mazar-i-Sharif city, produces news as well as wildlife documentaries and "Islamic series" dubbed from Turkish, with a staff of some 70 people in Kabul, AFJC said.

Afghanistan's media sector has dramatically shrunk under three years of the Taliban government, while international monitors have criticised Kabul's new rulers for allegedly trampling reporters' rights.

Research by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and its Geneva-based Human Rights Office said journalists and media outlets "operate under an environment of censorship and tight restrictions".

Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said there are no restrictions on journalists, as long as they "consider the national interest and Islamic values and avoid spreading rumours".

B.AbuZeid--SF-PST