Crackdown on Afghan TV Station for 'Vulgar Content'

An Afghan TV station, Arezo TV, has been closed for allegedly broadcasting vulgar content and collaborating with exiled media. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice claims the content violated Islamic and Afghan values. The incident highlights the tense media environment under Taliban rule.

An Afghan TV station, Arezo TV, has been shut down over accusations of airing vulgar content and collaborating with exiled media organizations, according to a government spokesman on Thursday.

The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice alleged that Arezo TV in Kabul hired temporary workers to dub series and programs deemed vulgar and counter to Islamic and Afghan principles. The ministry further accused the station of receiving financial backing from foreign media entities.

Arezo TV employees faced mistreatment, equipment seizures, and seven arrests during a raid by police and ministry workers, as reported by the Afghanistan Journalists Centre. The incident underscores Afghanistan's poor press freedom ranking, currently 178 out of 180 according to Reporters Without Borders.

(With inputs from agencies.)