KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban’s ban on broadcasting images of living beings, which they deem religiously forbidden, has now been extended to a 14th province — Kunduz — according to the Afghanistan Journalists’ Center.
The group said that Taliban authorities in Kunduz have officially ordered local media outlets to cease the filming and publication of any images depicting humans or animals. The ban stems from the Taliban’s enforcement of their “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” regulations, under which the depiction of living beings is considered contrary to Islamic principles as interpreted by the group.
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice instructed media organizations, including both state-run and private outlets, to halt visual reporting. As a result, several television stations in Kunduz — including National Radio Television Afghanistan (NRTV) under Taliban administration, the state-run Bakhtar News Agency, and private stations like Uranus TV and Radio Shabnam — will effectively be reduced to operating as audio-only broadcasters.
According to the Afghanistan Journalists’ Center, the Taliban directive states, “Media personnel must ensure that no images of living beings are published or broadcast.”
While the Taliban have enforced this ban in 13 other provinces previously — including Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand, Nangarhar, and Badakhshan — the extension of the restriction to Kunduz signals a systematic national crackdown on visual journalism.
Critics warn that the ban represents a dangerous escalation in Taliban control over the media. Mujib Khalwatgar, former director of the Nai media support organization, said the measure was an overt attempt to suppress freedom of expression and control public perception.
“The Taliban’s decision to prohibit the broadcasting of images is a clear intensification of pressure on media freedom. It not only restricts journalists’ ability to work but also conceals the real face of Afghan society from the public,” Sohaila Yousefi, an Afghan journalist, said.
She warned that if the policy continues, even major outlets in Kabul could face closure or resort to self-censorship.
Under Taliban regulations, the depiction of any living creature is explicitly forbidden under Article 17 of their Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law. Yet Taliban officials themselves continue to appear in official media photographs and videos — a contradiction noted by press freedom advocates.
