Taliban Shuts Down Radio Station in Afghanistan’s Khost Province Over Music Policy Violation

Taliban authorities have closed Radio Zhman TV in Khost province, Afghanistan, for allegedly violating media policies by using background music in broadcasts, prohibited since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center condemned the shutdown as a severe blow to media freedom, warning of wider repercussions if restrictions persist.

A local commission involving officials from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, intelligence, and police declared the station’s background music during a social program a breach of Taliban media rules. The Ministry of Vice and Virtue had previously cautioned broadcasters against airing any music, considered inappropriate by the Taliban.

Radio Zhman, active since 2017, aired programs from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. across Khost and parts of Paktia province. It is the second recent media closure in Khost, following Gharghasht Radio, which was briefly shut down in October and allowed to reopen without music.