Afghan private news TV channel ceases operation due to ‘pressures’

KABUL (KHAAMA PRESS): Kabul News, a private TV channel in Afghanistan that had been in operation for ten years, has ceased operations owing to what it called “pressures”, without further elaboration.
On Tuesday, October 30, a source with information on the situation told the media that this news channel had seen ups and downs as a result of the Taliban seizing control in Afghanistan and that it officially ceased operations today. The source further stated that Kabul News TV’s dissolution added to the number of people, particularly reporters and journalists, who had lost their jobs since the Taliban seized power.
According to the source, at least 60 employees of Kabul News TV lost their jobs as the private news channel stopped operations.
Abdul Karim Khorram, a close associate of former Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, founded the private TV network Kabul News. The office of Hamed Karzai funded the budget of this media, which had its own set of guidelines.
According to statistics, 48% of Afghanistan’s visual and audio media have ceased operation as a result of different issues since the fall of the republic regime, a major setback in the history of media in Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, 543 print, audio, and video outlets operated, according to the Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC). Currently, several other media outlets are on the verge of shutting down due to various reasons. Amnesty International recently reported on the expansion of censorship in Afghan media outlets and stated that the security of journalists working in Afghanistan is currently in jeopardy.
The organization went on to say that while these media have a history of independent reporting, they are today crumbling under the Taliban’s control.
Kabul News TV stops operation at a time when Amnesty International stated that at least 80 journalists and media workers were arrested and have fallen the subject of the Taliban’s harsh and violent behavior, with females suffering most of the damage.