What's happened
The Taliban's Ministry for Vice and Virtue has imposed a ban on media in several Afghan provinces from showing images of living beings, including people and animals. This directive raises significant concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists in Afghanistan as the regime tightens its grip on media representation.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Arpan Rai in The Independent, the Taliban's directive prohibits images of 'living things with a soul,' which includes both people and animals. This has sparked fears among journalists about the viability of their work. Hujjatullah Mujadidi from the Afghan Independent Journalists Union noted that the ban has already led local media to stop broadcasting images of living beings, opting instead for nature videos. The Independent also highlights concerns from Pulitzer-winning photojournalist Massoud Hossaini, who warns that this ban could mark the end of international visibility into human rights violations in Afghanistan. Metro reports that the Taliban's morality laws extend beyond media restrictions, affecting various aspects of public life, including women's rights.
How we got here
In August 2024, the Taliban introduced a set of morality laws, including a ban on images of living beings, as part of their interpretation of Sharia law. This latest directive follows a history of media suppression during their previous rule in the late 1990s.
More on these topics
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Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and South Asia.
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The Taliban or Taleban, who refer to themselves as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, are a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement and military organization in Afghanistan currently waging war within that country.