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members stormed Tamaddon TV network’s compound in Kabul on Tuesday, and harassed the employees of the media organization, according to official sources.
Islamic Emirate members entered the compound at around 4:30 pm on Tuesday and conducted a search operation in all the departments, according to Afghan Independent Journalist Association (AIJA).
The primary assessment of AIJA indicates that the armed members who raided Tamaddon TV Network belonged to the ministry of interior. AIJA reported that the employees were verbally abused, and the Taliban members took with them two vehicles of the agency which had legal licenses.
Hujjatullah Mujadidi, Head of the Afghan Independent Journalist Association met with Kabul Police Chief Commander Khalid Zadran at the Tamaddon TV compound and shared the complaints with the relevant authorities. Mr. Zadran assured that a comprehensive investigation is underway and the findings will be shared with the head of Tamaddon TV and AIJA in a timely manner.
Besides condemning the incident in which journalists and media workers were harassed, AIJA has asked for a thorough investigation and suggested the relevant organizations to prevent such raids in the future. It is also stated that in case of violation of rules by media outlets, relevant entities (Ministry of Information and Culture and Media Violation Commission) should take action.
Previous also, the Taliban members had stormed media organizations in Afghanistan — threatened media workers and journalists. On certain occasions, they even detained and persecuted journalists.
Taliban authorities have warned the media outlets that their publications and programs should be Islamic, and avoid using negative thoughts against the ruling regime.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the group is accused of arbitrary arrest and abuse of dozens of journalists and media workers. The group has imposed tough restrictions on media outlets, especially on women journalists.
In 2006, the Tamaddon TV network was founded by Ayatullah Asif Mohseni, a prominent Shia leader in the country who died in 2019. The network airs programs in Farsi and Pashto.