Afghan radio station shut down for playing music during Ramadan

A female-owned radio station in Afghanistan's north-east has been shut down for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, a Taliban official said.

Sadai Banowan, which means women voice in Dari, is Afghanistan's only female-owned station and started 10 years ago. It has eight staff, six of which are female.

Moezuddin Ahmadi, the director for information and culture in Badakhshan province, said the station had violated the laws and regulations of the Islamic emirate several times by broadcasting songs and music during Ramadan and was shut down because of the breach.

If the radio station accepts the policy of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan and guarantees that it won't repeat such a thing again, we will allow it to operate again, said Ahmadi.

Station head Najia Sorosh denied there was any violation, saying there was no need for the closure and calling it a conspiracy. The Taliban told us that they had broadcast music. She said we haven't broadcast any kind of music.

Sorosh said at 11.40 am on Thursday that representatives from the ministry of information and culture and the vice and virtue directorate arrived at the station and shut it down. She said station staff had contacted vice and virtue but officials there said they do not have any additional information about the closing.

Many journalists lost their jobs after the Taliban took over in August 2021. According to the Afghan Independent Journalists Association, media outlets closed because of lack of funds or because staff left the country.

The Taliban have barred women from most forms of employment and education beyond the sixth grade, including university. The Taliban barred most television, radio and newspapers from the country during their previous rule in the late 1990s.