KABUL: Afghanistan has ordered the suspension of WhatsApp and Telegram to resolve “technical problems,” officials said Saturday, sparking outcry among social media users.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Telegram are popular messaging apps among smartphone-using Afghans — including Taliban and Daesh terrorists.
So far state-owned Salaam Network is the only Internet provider to obey the order, which applies from November 1 to November 20, telecommunications ministry spokesman Najib Nangyalay told AFP.
“We are testing a new technology and WhatsApp and Telegram will be temporarily blocked,” Nangyalay said.
“It is not a blow to the freedom of communication in Afghanistan — we have access to Facebook, Twitter. We are committed to the freedom of expression.”
Acting telecommunications minister Shahzad Aryobee said the move was in response to dissatisfaction with the services — something industry insiders rejected.
“In order to improve the services and solve the technical problems of these two programs the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology is considering to introduce a new technology,” Aryobee said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Testing is “time-consuming” and required the temporary stoppage of WhatsApp and Telegram.
The move has ignited a firestorm on social media with users describing the move to block the messaging services as an assault on their right to free speech.
“Blocking WhatsApp and Telegram is the beginning of censorship by the Afghan government and bringing the virtual world under their control in Afghanistan. I think this is intolerable,” Facebook user Abdullah wrote.
Another user Mahdi Yasir said the quality of WhatsApp and Telegram “are great” and urged the government to focus on closing “factories producing Pakistani suicide bombers” instead.
“The two applications we were using the most are blocked. God damn this government,” Abdulraouf Sharifi posted.
A telecommunications official scoffed at the government’s claim to be developing a new technology.
“They are not going to match an international standard app,” he said.
“WhatsApp is very popular because it uses less data and the quality is very good.
“It could be security related (but) if they block it people can access VPNs,” he added, referring to virtual private networks.
Around eight million people, largely in Afghanistan’s major cities, can access the Internet, up from almost none during the Taliban’s repressive 1996-2001 regime. Most do so through mobile phones.
The Taliban frequently uses WhatsApp to post statements in Afghanistan while IS militants favor Telegram.
Afghanistan orders suspension of WhatsApp, Telegram
Afghanistan orders suspension of WhatsApp, Telegram
IMI media group rebrands with new name, logo and strategic shift
- Group CEO Rani R. Raad says rebranding is a ‘monumental milestone’
LONDON: The media group formerly known as International Media Investments has rebranded itself as “IMI” as part of an ongoing overhaul that includes a new logo and a refocused brand identity, the company announced on Tuesday.
The UAE-based company, which owns news outlets including Sky News Arabia, The National, Al-Ain News, and CNN Business Arabic, said the rebranding reflects its commitment to “connect people, enrich lives, and foster greater understanding.”
The media conglomerate, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, also operates IMI Studios and IMI Live, as well as an investment division, IMI Ventures.
IMI’s CEO Rani R. Raad, who is also president and operating partner of Redbird IMI, described the rebranding as a “monumental milestone” that aligns with its broader ambitions in media.
“It is not just about aesthetics; it embodies a forward-looking mindset as we prepare to move to our new state-of-the-art headquarters on Yas Island,” he said.
The media group said that its rebranding highlights the “power of connection,” aiming to reinforce IMI’s “commitment to creating content and telling stories that connect people, enrich lives, and foster greater understanding”.
The company added that the new logo encapsulates IMI’s expanding portfolio and more accurately reflects “IMI’s long-term goal of reshaping the media landscape to bridge gaps.”
IMI, which is associated with Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, has been in the headlines recently over its December 2023 acquisition of the UK’s Telegraph Group, including The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator.
However, the British government blocked the purchase, citing a law restricting media ownership by interests linked to foreign governments. IMI was subsequently required to divest the assets.
Moroccan court sentences journalist to 18 months in jail for defamation
- Hamid Mahdaoui was also fined $150,000 for allegedly defaming the justice minister
RABAT: Moroccan journalist Hamid Mahdaoui said he was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison on a charge of defamation against justice minister Abdellatif Ouahbi.
Mahdaoui, who is also editor-in-chief of news website Badil.info and an outspoken critic of government policies, was also fined 1.5 million dirhams ($150,000) by the court of first instance in Rabat.
Mahdaoui was sued after he accused Ouahbi of fraud, among other allegations, in a video on his website. Ouahbi has denied the accusations.
“I am innocent … I did not expect this prison sentence,” Mahdaoui told Reuters, adding that he was still undecided whether to appeal against the verdict to a higher court.
“I already presented all my arguments in my defense at court,” he said.
The justice minister was not immediately available for comment after the verdict.
Mahdaoui was sentenced under the penal code, instead of the press code which does not include jail terms, said Khadija Riadi of the Moroccan human rights group AMDH.
Mahdaoui was released in July 2020, after spending three years in jail on the charge of not reporting a crime against state security.
Jailed Swedish-Eritrean journalist wins rights prize
- Dawit Isaak has been held incommunicado without charge in Eritrea for more than 23 years
STOCKHOLM: A Swedish-Eritrean journalist held incommunicado without charge in Eritrea for more than 23 years won a Swedish rights prize on Monday for his fight for freedom of expression, the jury said.
Dawit Isaak was among a group of around two dozen people, including senior cabinet ministers, members of parliament and independent journalists, who were seized in a purge in September 2001.
He was awarded the Edelstam Prize “for his outstanding contribution and exceptional courage in standing up for freedom of expression, one’s beliefs, and in the defense of human rights,” the Edelstam Foundation said in a statement.
Amnesty International considers Isaak a prisoner of conscience, and press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says he and his colleagues detained at the same time are the longest-held journalists in the world.
UN rights experts have demanded Asmara immediately release him.
Eritrea has provided no news about him, and there are fears he may no longer even be alive. He would be 60 years old.
His daughter Betlehem Isaak will accept the award on his behalf in Stockholm on November 19.
Isaak fled to Sweden in 1987 during Eritrea’s struggle against Ethiopia which eventually led to independence in 1993.
After obtaining Swedish citizenship, he returned to Eritrea in 2001 to help shape the media landscape, and co-founded Setit, the country’s first independent newspaper.
He was arrested shortly after the paper published articles demanding political reforms.
Asmara has not provided any information about his whereabouts or health over the years, which UN experts in 2021 deemed “extremely concerning.”
But they said a credible source had indicated Isaak was still alive in September 2020.
The Edelstam Prize is awarded in memory of Swedish diplomat Harald Edelstam, who as ambassador to Chile at the time of Augusto Pinochet’s 1973 military coup granted thousands of Chileans and other Latin Americans safe conduct to, and political asylum in, Sweden.
Arab News celebrates double win at WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards 2024
- ‘Why Riyadh? Saudi Arabia’s Expo 2030’ scooped the top prize for Best Newspaper Infographic while ‘The Fast Track to Makkah’ won Best Newspaper Infographic
LONDON: Arab News marked a double win at the prestigious Asian Media Awards 2024, organized by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, also known as WAN-IFRA.
The Riyadh-based newspaper won top honors for Best Newspaper Front Page Design and Best Newspaper Infographics at the highly competitive event, which featured 251 entries from 42 media organizations across 13 countries.
Arab News secured the Best Newspaper Front Page Design award for its feature, “Why Riyadh? Saudi Arabia’s Expo 2030,” a special issue dedicated to Riyadh’s successful bid to host the World Expo in 2030.
The Best Newspaper Infographic award went to “The Fast Track to Makkah,” showcasing a detailed infographic on the Haramain high-speed rail and Mashaer train, which connects the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah. This graphic was a centerpiece of Arab News’ special Hajj 2023 coverage, lauded for its clarity and creativity in explaining the Kingdom’s 450-km rail network.
WAN-IFRA, founded in 1948 as the Federation Internationale des Editeurs de Journaux et Publications, represents over 18,000 publications globally, promoting publishing standards in design, infographics, editorial, marketing, community service, and photojournalism.
Now in its 23rd year, the awards ceremony took place at Mount Faber Peak, Singapore, with other leading participants including SPH Media, South China Morning Post, Japan Times, and Kumparan.
With these new accolades, Arab News has now won 145 awards under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas, who has steered the publication’s transformation to a digital-first platform since 2016.
Past recognition encompasses a range of special projects, including multiple international awards for “Saudi’s Animal Kingdom,” “The Kingdom vs. Captagon” deep dive, and the “FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022” special edition.
For more information about Arab News and its award-winning projects, visit arabnews.com/greatesthits.
Iran aware of reports about Iranian-American journalist’s arrest, ministry says
- Iran does not recognize second nationalities and treats dual nationals solely as Iranian
DUBAI: Iran’s foreign ministry is aware of reports about the arrest of Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh in Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American journalist who once worked for a US government-funded broadcaster, was believed to have been detained by Iran for some months.
“We are aware of reports regarding the arrest of one Iranian national, he is an Iranian national and I do not have information on his second citizenship. We are in contact with relevant institutions to follow up on the case,” Baghaei said when asked about Valizadeh in a press conference.
Iran does not recognize second nationalities and treats dual nationals solely as Iranians.
The US State Department had earlier acknowledged the imprisonment of Valizadeh, who previously worked for Radio Farda, an outlet under Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that is overseen by the US Agency for Global Media.
