Taliban have banned the broadcast and publication of images of living beings in the northern province of Sar-e-Pul, local sources confirmed. The Afghanistan Journalists Center says the ban has been imposed on the media in at least 20 provinces.
Sources confirmed that the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice issued the directive during a recent coordination meeting between government spokespersons and local journalists held on July 13.
Confirming the ban, the Afghanistan Journalists Center said the order has effectively halted all visual television programming in the province and blocked media outlets from sharing images on social media platforms. The group warned that the measure represents a serious escalation in media censorship.
According to the journalists’ organization, a Taliban official representing the virtue ministry, Khairullah Khairkhwa, told attendees at the meeting: “According to the law of promoting virtue and preventing vice, broadcasting images of living beings is prohibited, and media outlets must adhere to this rule.”
A local journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the state-run Sar-e Pol television station has since stopped visual broadcasting and now operates only as a radio station. The journalist added that many local officials are now refusing to appear in on-camera interviews and have urged media outlets, even unofficially, to avoid publishing their images.
In Sar-e-Pul, several media outlets continue to operate, including the state-run Bakhtar News Agency, the state publication, and private radio stations such as Sada-e Sar-e-Pul, Banu, and Anbir. However, all face significant limitations on visual content.
According to Taliban authorities, the ban is based on the Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which was ratified on August 22, 2024 (31 Asad 1403 in the Afghan calendar).
The restriction had previously been implemented in 19 other provinces, including Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Farah, Nimroz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Jawzjan, Zabul, Parwan, Kunduz, Bamiyan, Daikundi, Faryab, Panjshir, and Laghman.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center has expressed grave concern over the spread of these restrictions, describing them as a violation of press freedom and the public’s right to information. The organization warned that continued enforcement of such bans will have “severe consequences” for the work of journalists, media operations, and access to reliable information.
The AFJC has called on the Taliban to reconsider the directive and other media-related restrictions, urging them to allow journalists to operate freely and without fear, in accordance with basic professional and human rights.
