October 23, 2024
Qala-e-Naw, Badghis Province – In a troubling development for press freedom, television stations in the northwestern Badghis province have suspended operations following a directive from the local Taliban administration that prohibits the broadcast of images of living beings. The Afghanistan Journalists Center expresses grave concern over this decision and urges Taliban officials to reconsider this regressive measure, which further encroaches on media freedom.
On October 22, a local source—who requested anonymity due to safety concerns—reported to the AFJC that the Badghis Department of Information and Culture officially issued the order. This prohibition was communicated to media officials and reporters through a WhatsApp group comprised of journalists and local officials. The directive states, "In accordance with the governor's guidance and the virtue and vice law, we ask respected media organizations and the publications officers of governmental offices to refrain from using images of living beings in their news and publications. Instead, they are permitted to utilize images of inanimate objects such as buildings and scenes relevant to the news."
In response to this directive, both the local branch of the Taliban-controlled National Television and the privately owned Oboor Television have ceased broadcasts. Other local media outlets, including radio stations and freelance journalists operating online, also feel compelled to comply with the ban.
Additionally, the AFJC has been informed that photography and video interviews of local officials have been prohibited. Badghis has become the third province—following Kandahar and Takhar—to officially impose a ban on the publication of images of living beings and video interviews. Journalists in provinces such as Helmand, Logar, Maidan Wardak, and Daikundi have reported signs of similar restrictions taking effect.
The 17th article of the virtue and vice law, ratified in August by Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzadeh, the leader of the Taliban, mandates the prevention of the publication of living beings.
AFJC expresses serious concern about the implementation of this ban in Badghis, deeming it a regressive action that severely restricts media operations and has led to the closure of television stations in the province.
We urgently call on the Taliban authorities to reconsider this ban on the publication of images of living beings. We demand the revocation of this directive and the lifting of other media restrictions imposed over the past three years. It is vital that media outlets operate freely and that journalists can carry out their work without fear, in accordance with international standards of press freedom.