In a further blow to media freedom in Afghanistan, the Taliban administration has imposed a ban on the publication and broadcast of images of living beings across Panjshir province, deepening concerns over the group’s repressive censorship policies under the guise of its interpretation of Islamic law.
The Directorate of Information and Culture in Panjshir announced that the provincial governor, Mohammad Agha Hakim, has directed all local media outlets and cultural institutions to strictly implement the Taliban’s “Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” regulations. The order was issued during a recent session dedicated to interpreting the Taliban’s so-called virtue law and the decrees of its supreme leader. As part of the campaign, virtue enforcement committees are being established in every district of the province.
According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), similar bans have already been enforced in at least 16 other provinces, including Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, Takhar, and Badakhshan. The measures prohibit any form of visual representation of living beings—whether through photography, video, or broadcast—effectively erasing visual journalism from Afghan media.
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice confirmed last year that the controversial virtue law had been officially ratified. Article 17 of the law explicitly bans the photographing and broadcasting of living creatures and authorizes officials to monitor and block their dissemination.
International and domestic media watchdogs have condemned the law, warning that it gravely undermines press freedom, limits access to vital information, and pushes Afghanistan further into isolation. Since reclaiming power in 2021, the Taliban have rolled back decades of progress on freedom of expression, with the country now widely regarded as one of the most dangerous and restrictive environments for journalists.
Analysts say that these escalating measures not only stifle independent reporting but also reflect a broader Taliban strategy to suppress dissent, control public narratives, and sever Afghan society from the global community.
