Office of Arezo TV in the Karteh-Se area of Kabul
December 4, 2024
Kabul – The General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) and the Vice and Virtue Department of the Taliban conducted a raid on the Arezo TV office in Kabul today, resulting in the mistreatment of employees, confiscation of equipment, and the arrest of seven staff members. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) condemns this action as a blatant violation of the rights of Arezo TV and its employees, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees and the reopening of the media outlet.
According to a source in Kabul, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, the raid occurred around 9:30 AM in the Karte-Se area of district 6. The source reported that the GDI officers physically assaulted a security guard, mistreated employees, confiscated their mobile phones to prevent outside communication, and interrogated them about their work.
The source further detailed, “The GDI officers continued their inspection and questioning of Arezo TV employees until 3 PM. Seven employees were arrested during this time, including Amanullah Azimi, the Kabul office director; Khalid Barakzai, a presenter; Amir Hossein Atryan, producer and administrative manager; Zaheer, director of the production department; and production staff members Sami, Haroon, and Baktash. The officers also seized the office’s computers.”
As of now, neither the GDI nor the Ministry of Public Order has commented on the incident. However, AFJC sources have reported that a notice posted by the Vice and Virtue Ministry on the Arezo TV office door states, "Due to the broadcasting of immoral and vulgar series, this office has been sealed until further notice."
Arezo TV was established in October 2006 in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, and opened a Kabul office in January 2010. The Kabul office is equipped with a studio for news production and content creation, including “wildlife documentaries” and “Islamic series” dubbed from Turkish into Persian/Dari. Approximately 60% of Arezo TV's programming is produced in Kabul, with around 70 employees, including eight journalists, working at the outlet. The remaining 40% of content is produced at the Mazar-e-Sharif office.
AFJC strongly condemns the closure of Arezo TV’s office by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) and the Vice and Virtue Ministry as an infringement on the fundamental rights of this private channel and its journalists, aimed at further restricting media activities in Afghanistan.
AFJC urges Taliban authorities to lift illegal restrictions on media operations, release Arezo TV's detained employees unconditionally, and allow the media outlet to reopen in accordance with Afghanistan's media laws. The media law, deemed applicable by the Taliban government, asserts that media outlets are free to carry out their professional activities without undue restrictions or threats.