Taliban officials in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat have instructed local media outlets and online content creators to enforce a ban on publishing images of living beings, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
The head of the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat, together with the provincial head of the Information and Culture Department, met media managers and several YouTubers on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, and demanded compliance with the restriction, the sources said.
The officials told participants that filming or broadcasting images showing people — including journalists, presenters or interviewees — must stop, citing an order issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the sources added.
Media outlets and visual content producers were instructed to avoid showing faces in news reports, programmes and online content and to ensure the directive is implemented across television stations and YouTube channels operating in the province.
The Taliban have previously banned the broadcast of images of living beings in at least 16 provinces, invoking Article 17 of the law governing the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
The restrictions have been imposed most strictly in provinces where the Taliban leadership holds stronger influence, according to local journalists and media watchdogs.
The Taliban have not publicly commented on the Herat directive.
