Court decision on some media outlets expected Sunday

KABUL (ToloNews): The Ministry of Information and Culture on Friday said the court’s decision regarding the activities of some media outlets would be announced on Sunday.
The press office of the ministry said the case refers to those print and digital publications that work from abroad against the system.
The court’s order to cancel the licenses of media organizations that operate outside of the country do not apply to TVs and radios, the Ministry of Information and Culture added.
“They are 10 media outlets and they are very small media. Television networks and radio stations are not among them. They are all digital and print media,” said Abdul Haq Hamad, head of publications at the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Hamad added that a decision would also be made in the coming week on the cancellation of those media outlets whose licenses have not been renewed.
Some media-supporting organizations argued that the court’s decision should be impartial.
“All media organizations within and outside the country are concerned about the decision and this decision should not cause the suppression of freedom of speech and media in Afghanistan,” said Hujatullah Mujaddidi, head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union.
The Ministry of Information and Culture had scheduled a trial for the media outlets on Jan. 5, but the session was postponed due to the absence of representatives of the media outlets.