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تصویر بندانگشتی

Ghazni Radio Station Shuts Down After Threats By Armed Men

A radio station in the central province of Ghazni was shut down after repeated threats from a suspected Taliban commander who objected to women working as presenters, officials from the radio station said. 

The private radio station, Samaa, has been broadcasting political, religious, social and entertainment programs in Ghazni since 2013. It is one of the six private radio stations in the province. 

The radio station has 13 employees, including four women, three of them presenters. The radio broadcast in Afghanistan’s two main languages - Dari and Pashto.

The threats started last year, but the radio officials they did not take them seriously, the radio station’s director Omid Azizi said, adding that the recent weeks’ threats were serious. 

“Once a mine was placed and exploded in our office. Everything was broken and our equipment was looted and we suffered financial losses,” Azizi told TOLOnews.  

He said security forces arrested some suspects in connection to the threats, but the warnings did not stop.

A producer at the radio station, Ramiz Azimi, said he was threatened by a number of armed men who came to his home and warned him to stop working in the radio station. 

“It was around 10 pm that our door was knocked and we saw in the CCTV that there were two armed men outside the door. Our family members asked that who you have come for? They said they want to talk with Ramiz and director of the radio station. Our family members said they are not at home,” Ramiz explained.  

Ghazni officials said the radio station was threatened by some people who have personal disputes with the owner of the station. 

“Some people who have personal disputes with owner of the radio station or its current director have threatened them by misusing the Taliban’s name,” said Noori. 

Taliban has rejected the involvement of the group in this issue. 

Government’s statistics show that there are 96 TV channels, 65 radio stations and 911 print media in Kabul, as well as 107 TV channels, 284 radio stations, and 416 print media in other provinces. He says there are 1,879 active media outlets in Afghanistan which are called as one of the main achievements of the country in the past 18 years.

Ghazni Radio Station Shuts Down After Threats By Armed Men

Ghazni officials said the threats were from a number of armed men who pretend to be the Taliban members. 

تصویر بندانگشتی

A radio station in the central province of Ghazni was shut down after repeated threats from a suspected Taliban commander who objected to women working as presenters, officials from the radio station said. 

The private radio station, Samaa, has been broadcasting political, religious, social and entertainment programs in Ghazni since 2013. It is one of the six private radio stations in the province. 

The radio station has 13 employees, including four women, three of them presenters. The radio broadcast in Afghanistan’s two main languages - Dari and Pashto.

The threats started last year, but the radio officials they did not take them seriously, the radio station’s director Omid Azizi said, adding that the recent weeks’ threats were serious. 

“Once a mine was placed and exploded in our office. Everything was broken and our equipment was looted and we suffered financial losses,” Azizi told TOLOnews.  

He said security forces arrested some suspects in connection to the threats, but the warnings did not stop.

A producer at the radio station, Ramiz Azimi, said he was threatened by a number of armed men who came to his home and warned him to stop working in the radio station. 

“It was around 10 pm that our door was knocked and we saw in the CCTV that there were two armed men outside the door. Our family members asked that who you have come for? They said they want to talk with Ramiz and director of the radio station. Our family members said they are not at home,” Ramiz explained.  

Ghazni officials said the radio station was threatened by some people who have personal disputes with the owner of the station. 

“Some people who have personal disputes with owner of the radio station or its current director have threatened them by misusing the Taliban’s name,” said Noori. 

Taliban has rejected the involvement of the group in this issue. 

Government’s statistics show that there are 96 TV channels, 65 radio stations and 911 print media in Kabul, as well as 107 TV channels, 284 radio stations, and 416 print media in other provinces. He says there are 1,879 active media outlets in Afghanistan which are called as one of the main achievements of the country in the past 18 years.

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