Taliban expands ban on images of living creatures to more provinces

The Taliban has expanded its ban on broadcasting images of living beings to more provinces, Report informs via AFJC.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said the ban, issued by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, is now implemented in 18 out of the country’s 34 provinces.

It has reportedly been ordered to stop broadcasting any images of living beings, with warnings of consequences for non-compliance. The ban affects both private outlets and state-run broadcasters, including the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA).

The ban is part of the Taliban’s enforcement of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, signed by the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, in August 2024. The law grants broad powers to the Taliban’s morality police to monitor and censor media content deemed un-Islamic.

Media outlets have reported significant disruption as a result. Several television stations have closed or switched to radio-only broadcasts to stay operational.