May 4, 2025
Bazarak, Panjshir — The de facto authorities in Panjshir province have officially imposed a ban on the publication of images of living beings within the province. This development brings the total number of provinces affected by this restriction to 18 across Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has expressed serious concern over the expansion of this ban, highlighting its potential to severely impact media operations and restrict public access to information.
In a statement, Mohammad Agha Hakim, the de facto governor of Panjshir, announced that a meeting was held today, Monday, May 4, 2025, at the de facto governor’s office with local officials and religious scholars to discuss the implementation of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law. He emphasized that, in accordance with this law, the publication of images of living beings is prohibited throughout Panjshir and its media outlets.
Hakim further stated that committees will be established to enforce this law in the province, and violators will face legal consequences. A local journalist in Panjshir, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, noted that the formal enforcement of the ban is expected to further restrict media activities and limit access to information within the province. Currently, Panjshir hosts the provincial branch of the national radio and television, as well as private radio station Kechken.
According to AFJC data, prior to Panjshir, the publication ban on images of living beings has been officially announced and enforced in more than half of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, including Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Farah, Nimroz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Jowzjan, Zabul, Parwan, Kunduz, Bamyan, Daykundi, and Faryab.
The Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law was published on August 21, 2024. Under Article 17 of this law, the morality police are tasked with preventing the publication of images of living beings.
AFJC has voiced deep concern over the enforcement of this ban in Panjshir, warning that such restrictions fundamentally undermine principles of free speech and Afghanistan’s media law. AFJC warns that the continued expansion of this ban is expected to further increase pressure on Afghanistan’s already constrained media community, which faces unprecedented limitations. The restrictions threaten to severely undermine the public’s right to access diverse and unrestricted information.
AFJC calls on de facto authorities to reconsider the ban on the publication of images of living beings and to revoke recent directives that contradict Afghanistan’s media law. It urges the creation of an environment where media outlets can operate freely and journalists can exercise their fundamental rights without fear or censorship.