Radio Neday-e-Subh in Ghurian district of Herat province was threatened last Sunday to stop its broadcast while Radio Saday-e-baanu broadcast in Sar-e-pul province has been banned for one week now.
Shafeullah Azizi the owner of the private radio Saday-e-baanu in Sar-e-pul province said that after having an
argument with one of the radio presenters, the Head of Information and Culture of Sar-e-pul province sealed radio’s office. Meanwhile, Head of Information and Culture of Sar-e-pul province denied such a claim and said that radio Saday-e-baanu’s broadcast was shut down because of the lack of its legal license.
Abdul Qudus Fahim Head of Information and Culture of Sar-e-pul province said: “we repeatedly asked them (the officials of Radio Saday-e-baanu) to send us a copy of their radio’s license but they ignored us. We cannot let a media to work without any license.
But Radio Saday-e- baanu officials do not accept it and insist that they have license for the radio. According to Shafeullah Azizi, they have contacted Sar-e-pul governor to solve the problem.
The governor of Sar-e-pul, Abdul Jabar Haqbeen, said that Head of Information and Culture had shut down Radio Saday-e-baanu broadcast without sharing the issue with local government. Haqbeen added: “the issue will be inspected soon."
According to another report the officials of Radio Neday-e-subh in Ghurian district of Herat province have been threatened to change their broadcast contents, otherwise their radio will be shut down.
Chief Editor of Radio Neday-e-subh, Jawed Azizi, said: “last Sunday one of our colleagues was invited to district governor office and he was threatened by the governor to banned radio’s broadcast while Mullahs of the district were also present. "
According to the Naday-e-subh officials, some of the radio programs had been considered against Islam by the Mullahs, and that was the main cause of the threats. According to Azizi those programs were mostly entertaining programs.
Haji Dawood Shah Nourzayee, Ghurian district Governor said that he had invited radio Neday-e-subh officials and delivered them the scholars’ message.
Nourzayee added: “we have never threatened them (radio Neday-e-subh officials).”
While trying to remove threats against two radio channels through communicating Sar-e-pul province and Ghurian district officials, Afghanistan's National Journalists Union (ANJU) have declared, every media complaint should be followed through legal means.
M. Faheem Dashty, Cheif Executive of ANJU said: “nobody can ban media broadcast by its own decision or threat to stop it.”
Dashty added: “if there are any grievances from media, Mass Media Law has already underlined the ways to conduct those complaints, and nobody or a group should consider itself above the law.”
