Taliban Closes Radio Stations In Ongoing Media Clampdown

Taliban authorities closed three local radio stations in Kandahar province: Tahsin al-Quran, Sanga, and Zama Ziwer. The Taliban Department of Information and Culture accused the stations of failing to pay taxes, operating without licenses, and broadcasting below required standards. The statement also urged other radio stations to align broadcasts with Islamic principles and ethics. Media advocacy and rights groups criticized the closures as part of a broader crackdown that has severely reduced Afghanistan’s media environment since 2021. A separate shutdown of Radio Bamyan was linked to licensing issues, with claims that the Taliban prevented renewal. Afghanistan ranks near the bottom on global press freedom measures, with many outlets closed and journalists arrested under relentless censorship.

"The radio stations -- Tahsin al-Quran, Sanga, and Zama Ziwer -- were operating in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, the Taliban's birthplace and stronghold. In a statement on May 24, the Taliban's Department of Information and Culture accused the radio stations of failure to pay their taxes, not being licensed, and of substandard broadcasting. The same statement also urged other radio stations to align their broadcast with "Islamic principles and ethics.""

"The latest move drew immediate criticism from media advocacy and rights groups. "Pressure on the media has increased, especially on radio stations," Hamed Obaidi, head of the Afghanistan Media Support Organization, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Obaidi added that the reasons given for closing the stations were merely a pretext to muzzle public opinion. Last week, when another local station, Radio Bamyan, was shut down for not renewing its license, a source at the radio told Radio Azadi that the Taliban had actually prevented it from doing so."

"Taliban-run Afghanistan ranks 175th in the latest edition of the World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last month. Only Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, North Korea, and Eritrea were rated lower. RSF said 43 percent of media outlets in Afghanistan had been closed since 2021, documenting the dismantling of independent media with women journalists being disproportionately targeted. Since August 2021, more than 165 media professionals have been arrested -- including 25 in 2025 -- and the media watchdog says "journalism has been choked by relentless censorship.""

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