Najia Sorosh, right, head of Seday-e- Banowan, a women-run radio station speaks with her colleagues in the radio studio in Faizabad, the capital of northeast Bakhashan province. AP
March 31, 2023
Faizabad, Badakhshan- The Seday-e- Banwan [Women's Voice] radio station in the northeast province of Banakhshan has been shut down for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, local authorities said.
Hekmatullah Mohammadi, the director for information at the Information and Culture department in Badakhshan province, said the station went off the air until further notice due to broadcasting “songs during Ramadan.” “The station had violated the “laws and regulations of the Islamic emirate” several times by broadcasting songs and music during Ramadan and was shuttered because of the breach.”
Najia Sorosh, head of the radio station said:” “Yesterday, representatives from the ministry of information and culture and the vice and virtue directorate arrived ad our radio and closed it.” “Our broadcast has been halted and they gave the reason for it as broadcasting music’ our technician colleague mistakenly broadcast an Arabic Na’at (religious poetry in praise of the prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), in holy Ramadan.”
Taliban have banned music and female voices on television and radio channels following the takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
AFJC said: “The space for the independent media continues to shrink significantly in Afghanistan, and shutting down of Seday-e-Banowan radio station in Faizabad is another important step in that process.” “ It is unjustifiable and against the Afghan media law, and we call on the authorities to allow it to operate again.”
Seday-e- Banowan, started 10 years ago in Faizabad, the capital of northeast Badkhshan province. It has eight staff, six of them female.