ISLAMABAD: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the Taliban’s shutdown of Tamadon TV, one of Afghanistan’s few remaining independent television stations, calling on the authorities to immediately allow the broadcaster to resume operations, according to *Amu TV*.
Armed officials from the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice raided Tamadon TV’s headquarters in Kabul on Tuesday, forced the station off the air, insulted employees and sealed its offices, the report said.
“The closure of Tamadon TV and the degrading treatment of its staff mark an alarming escalation in the Taliban’s assault on Afghanistan’s independent media,” said **Waliullah Rahmani**, CPJ’s Afghanistan-Pakistan representative.
“Taliban authorities must immediately allow Tamadon TV to resume broadcasting without interference and stop silencing news outlets with force on the pretext of unproven allegations,” Rahmani said.
The shutdown comes amid growing concern over the shrinking space for independent journalism in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Journalists and media rights advocates say independent outlets have faced mounting pressure through raids, licensing restrictions, detentions and administrative measures that have steadily eroded press freedom.
Tamadon TV, which broadcasts news, current affairs and political programming, is among the few independent television stations still operating in Afghanistan. It is also one of the country’s rare broadcasters airing Shia religious content.
The raid took place during Muharram, one of the holiest periods in the Shia Muslim calendar, as concerns continue to grow over restrictions affecting Afghanistan’s Shia community and religious activities.
The closure follows years of pressure on the broadcaster.
In June 2025, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice announced plans to shut down Tamadon TV, alleging that it was affiliated with Harakat-e-Islami, a political party banned by the Taliban, and that it operated from property authorities claimed had been unlawfully seized. The order, however, was not enforced at the time.
Mohammad Jawad Mohseni, the station’s director, rejected the allegations, saying Tamadon TV had no links to any political party and that the property housing its headquarters had been legally purchased through a private sale.
Mohseni also said a special court had been reviewing the ownership documents for more than a year without issuing a ruling.
The latest closure comes months after another intervention involving a broadcaster linked to Afghanistan’s Shia and Hazara communities. In February, Taliban intelligence agents took control of Rah-e-Farda TV, a station owned by prominent Hazara politician Mohammad Mohaqiq.
The broadcaster resumed operations this month after Taliban authorities approved a new broadcasting licence under different ownership.
CPJ said the raid on Tamadon TV underscores growing fears for the future of independent journalism in Afghanistan, warning that the closure of one of the country’s last independent broadcasters represents a significant escalation in the Taliban’s campaign against independent media.
