Khaled Selim

Afghan TV station reopens after closure by Taliban authorities

Seals placed on Arezo TV's doors in Kabul were removed in the presence of the country's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV), said station head Bassir Abid, who reported that the outlet had "resumed our operations". Taliban authorities shut down the TV station on December 4 after the PVPV accused the channel of being supported by exiled media and of betraying Islamic values. Seven of Arezo TV's employees were arrested but released later in December, while the media outlet remained shuttered. The Taliban government has not yet indicated the reason the station was allowed to reopen. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), a press freedom group, welcomed the reopening but said in a statement it considered the closure "a flagrant violation of free media rights that should not have happened".