KABUL: An Afghan TV station has been shut down after its office was used for dubbing “vulgar” programmes for banned media, the Taliban morality ministry said on Thursday, with the channel’s employees saying six people have been 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 said 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, agency’s journalists said.

The Afghanistan Journalists Centre (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.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024