President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah on Monday overturned a recent decision to ban two social media chat groups, WhatsApp and Telegram.
The two leaders described the ban on the social media platforms as being against the law and ordered WhatsApp and Telegram to work as normal in Afghanistan.
Presidential Palace (ARG) said in a statement that the Afghan constitution has protected freedom of speech in the country and that the National Unity Government (NUG) was committed to its constitutional responsibilities.
“The constitution of Afghanistan has guaranteed freedom of speech and the National Unity Government is committed to the execution and protection of the values. Based on the constitutional provision, freedom of speech is protected from any kind of aggression and the National Unity Government considers itself responsible for it,” the press release reads.
On Friday, the Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA) issued an official letter that was sent to the media stating it would ban WhatsApp and Telegram for the month of November, citing security issues as the reason.
The move sparked an outcry in the country and civil society activists said it was in contravention of freedom of speech. Some Kabul residents suggested that government should boost its control over social media platforms instead of banning some of them.
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