ISLAMABAD: Kabul-based private television network Arezo TV has resumed operations after a nearly three-month suspension, according to a statement from the Afghanistan Journalists Centre (AFJC) on Saturday (March 1).
Hujatullah Mujadidi, the head of the Afghan Independent Journalists Union, a media advocacy group based in Kabul, also confirmed the news to dpa.
The AFJC reported that Arezo TV was able to remove the seal from its office in Kabul after receiving approval from the Taliban's Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Basir Abed, the head of Arezo TV, told the AFJC that all employees of the media outlet were allowed to return to work. He also said that no special conditions were placed on the TV station's reopening.
Arezo TV was closed by Taliban authorities in December 2024. At that time, seven employees of the station were temporarily detained and later released on written bail.
The closure was reportedly due to the station's alleged cooperation with media outlets outside Afghanistan and the broadcasting of TV shows that were considered to go against Islamic principles.
The AFJC welcomed the reopening of Arezo TV, calling its previous closure "a clear violation" of the rights of a free media outlet. The media advocacy group also urged the Taliban authorities to allow Afghanistan's media organisations to operate freely, without threats or restrictions.
It comes after Afghanistan's de facto Taliban government allowed two radio stations, one for women and another for young people, to resume broadcasting days after shutting them down over accusations of misusing operating licences and cooperating with banned foreign media outlets. - dpa
