Mina Akbari used to have a busy work schedule, presenting two daily shows for Shamshad TV in Kabul, and preparing content on women’s issues for Nargis, a radio station in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.
But since the Taliban took Kabul on August 15, Akbari has been at home, too scared to return to work.
Nargis, the station where she worked, is one of at least three radio broadcasters run or staffed by women that have made changes to staff or programming out of concern that the Taliban may retaliate against them. One has temporarily suspended operations.
While none have received direct orders by the Taliban, under the group’s previous rule women were not allowed to work or have high-profile roles. And since it took power, girls aged 12 to 18 have been told to stay at home.
The Taliban’s acting deputy minister for information and culture, Zabihullah Mujahid, told VOA last month that women will be allowed to return when it is safe.
“It is for the Islamic scholars to decide the rules for women and teach them how to work or continue their education,” Mujahid said, adding that the Taliban is waiting for the scholars to inform the government of their decision.
The Taliban have also said that private media would be allowed to operate freely, as long as they did not go against Islam. But the group has circulated media guidelines, and rights groups have cited a spike in violence and threats perpetrated by Taliban members in the past two months.
Some journalists at state-run stations have also said they were blocked from working. Shabnam Dawran, an anchor for the state-run Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), spoke publicly about how Taliban members prevented her from going to work.
Source: Voice of America