The Taliban has raided and suspended operations at Radio Begum, Afghanistan’s only women-run radio station, in a move that further restricts women’s rights and press freedom in the country.
The station, based in Kabul, was dedicated to providing education and support for Afghan women, broadcasting lessons and programs on health, psychology, and spirituality. However, on Tuesday, officers from the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture stormed its premises, seizing computers, hard drives, and staff phones. Two male employees were also taken into custody.
Authorities justified the suspension by accusing the station of violating broadcasting policies and improperly using its license, including allegedly providing content to an unnamed foreign-based television channel. The ministry stated that the station’s future would be determined in due course.
Rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the shutdown, calling for its immediate reversal.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women, barring them from secondary education, universities, most jobs, and public spaces. The closure of Radio Begum follows broader efforts to suppress media freedom, with Afghanistan ranking 178 out of 180 countries in RSF’s latest press freedom index.
The Taliban has also banned the sound of women’s voices in public, making it increasingly difficult for female journalists and broadcasters to operate. Last year alone, at least 12 media outlets were shut down under the regime’s strict “vice and virtue” laws.
The suspension of Radio Begum signals yet another setback for Afghan women, who continue to face escalating repression under Taliban rule.
