Coinciding with World Radio Day, a number of female journalists and employees of Afghan radios criticized the Taliban’s strict restrictions on the media and said that it is forbidden to broadcast the voices of female journalists on the radios.

From February 13th, World Radio Day is celebrated all over the world, and this occasion was recognized in 2011 by Spain’s proposal by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Department (UNESCO) and a year later by the United Nations General Assembly. Known.

According to reports, this mass communication tool is known as the most popular tool in Afghanistan, which has many fans and listeners all over the country, especially in Afghanistan.

But; A number of female journalists in Afghanistan say that after the Taliban’s dominance in the country and their severe restrictions on the country’s free media, they are no longer allowed to work on the radio and their voices have been banned.

Ayesha Ahmadzai (pseudonym), one of the female journalists, said in a conversation with the reporter of Peace Window that she lost her job and stayed at home after the Taliban became effective. He emphasized that the authorities of this group have banned the broadcasting of female presenters and female guests on radios.

Mrs. Ahmadzai said: “There is no more place for women in the media. Female listeners are not allowed to call the programs. Our journalists and presenters have been banned. “Women cannot work in radio and television.”

Mursal Mohammadi (pseudonym), one of the female employees in Bamyan province, said that the broadcasts of half of the local radio stations in Bamyan province have been stopped due to many restrictions by the Taliban group and economic problems.

Ms. Mohammadi added: “The radio that was working has stopped broadcasting at the moment and emphasized that other listening media have lost their value and people have moved away from them.”

He says: “Most of the media cannot pay the financial expenses and salaries of their employees. Many of them are blocked in Bamyan province and some others are facing the threat of being closed, and many restrictions have caused the radios to be closed in this province.

Ms. Mohammadi says that the national and international media and journalists support institutions should make serious efforts to solve the challenges that have arisen so that journalists can be saved from the bad economic situation.

Maysam Nouri, one of the journalists in Kabul, says that if the media and journalists are not supported, the future of information in the country will be worrying. He asked media protection institutions and the Taliban government to pay serious attention to the problems of the media in Afghanistan so that information in Afghanistan does not stop.

But; Institutions supporting media and journalists in Afghanistan say on the occasion of World Radio Day that 257 radio stations in Afghanistan have broadcasting activities and more than 2 thousand journalists are engaged in journalistic work.

Farhad Behrouz, the deputy of the Afghanistan Free Journalists Union, told the media today (Tuesday, 15 February) on the occasion of World Radio Day that so far 257 radio stations are broadcasting across Afghanistan, in which 2,500 journalists are working as journalists, out of 1,880 journalists. The man and 270 other women are engaged in media activities.

Mr. Behrouz added that based on the findings of this institution, 19 new radios have been established in the past two years and 24 other radios have resumed their activities after a temporary interruption of broadcasting.

He stated that in the past year, the broadcasts of 9 radios in different provinces of the country have been temporarily stopped, of which the broadcasts of 2 radios are still stopped.

The deputy of the Afghanistan Free Journalists’ Union emphasized that currently the country’s media and journalists are facing serious economic problems and this union is trying to be the organization that supports and defends the rights of journalists and freedom of expression in Afghanistan in order to expand the freedom of expression and information process in Afghanistan. The country should provide coordination meetings, training programs and the creation of joint committees between the media and the government and facilitate the process of journalists’ access to information.

Mr. Behrouz asked the Taliban government to facilitate the process of journalists’ access to information, journalists’ immunity, and reduce the media’s electricity bills, and to solve the challenges of the media in the country’s media community, and demanded more support for the country’s free media.

In the meantime, Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture of the Taliban, on the occasion of World Radio Day, told the National Radio of Afghanistan, which is under the control of this group, that there are currently 280 radios operating throughout the country, and he emphasized that radio plays a positive role. in changing the public mind in the society.

On the other hand, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Taliban group, on the occasion of World Radio Day, says that in the last two and a half years, the media has improved in Afghanistan and this group supports free media in the country and asked the country’s media to protect the national interests of the countries during the broadcasting of programs. take into account

In this regard, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has written on its X page on the occasion of World Radio Day that this organization supports the “right to access to information and freedom of expression” in Afghanistan.

This organization has said that there are currently 150 radio stations operating in Afghanistan and a world without radio is difficult.

Meanwhile, Roza Otunbayeva, the head of UNAMA office, visited Key Radio and Mersal Radio in Kabul on this day and said: “It is very difficult to imagine the world without radio.”

Ms. Reza Otunbaeva praised radio in Afghanistan as a vital source of news, education and public debate for nearly a century.

On the other hand, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced on the occasion of World Radio Day that despite the global developments and developments, radio still plays an important role in providing reliable cross-border information to the people.

According to this organization, radio empowers society by providing sufficient information and fights against the spread of false information.

Coinciding with World Radio Day, Radio Neshat in Farah province started broadcasting again after 8 months due to economic problems.

Hamidullah Hamidi, the head of this radio, told the local media that this radio was established in 1395 and stopped its broadcasts 8 months ago due to economic problems. They were active in this radio.

Radio is considered to be the most listened to media in the world and the oldest media among public media, and until 2002, “Radio Afghanistan” operated only in Afghanistan, but; After that, in the last two decades, the process of establishing private radios in the country began, and during this period, hundreds of radios broadcast in Kabul and the provinces of the country, and based on the statistics of organizations supporting journalists in the country, until the fall of the republican system, the number of private radios in Afghanistan was It reaches 307 bases.