The Taliban's Ministry of Justice announced on Thursday that the activities of the private Tamadon TV will be halted due to its affiliation with the Harakat-e-Islami Party and its use of "seized" government land.
The ministry stated that media outlets belonging to Afghan political parties are not allowed to operate.
Barakatullah Rasouli, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Justice, said in a statement on the X social media platform, "Political parties in the country are abolished, and media outlets affiliated with them do not have the right to operate."
Rasouli mentioned that the Khatam al-Nabieen Madarasa and Khatam al-Nabieen University, which belong to the "abolished" Harakat-e-Islami Party, are also not permitted to operate. He stated that the buildings of these two educational and religious institutions were constructed on seized government land and will be closed.
The Taliban's Ministry of Justice said that on Thursday, a delegation from the ministry visited Tamadon TV and informed the media outlet's officials of the Taliban's decision.
On Thursday afternoon, a Tamadon TV news anchor announced live that a delegation from the Taliban's Ministry of Justice had entered the media building to stop broadcasts, and the broadcasts might be halted within hours.
Hours later, Tamadon TV announced that, with the intervention of Taliban officials, the suspension of its broadcasts had been postponed until Saturday.
The Taliban's Ministry of Justice also warned that it would take "legal and religious" action against any political party activities.
Previously, the Taliban temporarily suspended two media outlets, "Noor" and "Barya," which belonged to the Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan and the Hizb-e-Islami, citing failure to adhere to "national and Islamic principles and values”.
The Afghanistan Journalists Centre described the Taliban's action to shut down Tamadon TV as a suppression of media and freedom of expression in Afghanistan.
