Afghanistan’s Taliban government has pledged to implement a law banning media outlets from publishing images of living things. The announcement, made on Monday by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV), marks the latest in a series of decrees aimed at curtailing freedoms in the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The PVPV’s spokesperson, Saiful Islam Khyber, outlined the new policy, stating that it would be introduced gradually across Afghanistan. The ministry claims the law is part of its responsibility to uphold Islamic teachings, including the belief that images of living beings contravene Sharia law.
According to Khyber, the media in Afghanistan will face restrictions on publishing or broadcasting images of humans, animals, and other living beings. The Taliban believes such representations are contrary to Islamic principles, which prohibit idolatry and the depiction of living things.
“The law applies to all of Afghanistan, and it will be implemented gradually,” Khyber told the press. He emphasized that the law would not be imposed through force but rather through “advice” and “convincing” the public and media professionals that these practices violate Islamic law.
“Coercion has no place in the implementation of the law,” Khyber asserted. “It’s only advice, and convincing people these things are really contrary to Sharia and must be avoided.”
Despite these assurances, the law is a stark reminder of the ideological control the Taliban government is exerting over Afghan society. It specifically targets the country’s once-thriving media industry, which has already been significantly diminished by ongoing restrictions.
While the PVPV has stated that the law will be implemented gradually, it has already begun enforcing the new restrictions in key regions. Officials are starting in southern Afghanistan, particularly the Taliban strongholds of Kandahar and Helmand, as well as the northern province of Takhar.
In the central province of Ghazni, journalists were summoned by local morality police to be informed of the new regulations. According to a journalist who spoke anonymously to AFP, reporters were advised to take photos from a distance and reduce visual coverage of events to “get in the habit” of adhering to the new rules. The same message was delivered in the province of Maidan Wardak, where journalists were told the restrictions would be applied gradually.
Khyber confirmed that prior to the national implementation of the law, local bans had already been in place in Kandahar, where Taliban officials were prohibited from taking photos or videos of living things. However, these earlier rules did not extend to news media, which will now be subject to the same restrictions.
The new law also advises the general public against taking or viewing images of living beings on their phones or other electronic devices. Yet, inconsistencies in enforcement are evident, as Taliban officials themselves continue to post photos on social media, leading to confusion over the specifics of the decree.
Afghanistan’s media landscape has been in sharp decline since the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021, following a decades-long insurgency against foreign-backed governments. Prior to the Taliban takeover, the country had approximately 8,400 media employees, a number that has since dropped to 5,100, according to sources within the Afghan media industry. The exodus of journalists from the field reflects the growing pressures under Taliban rule, where journalists often face harassment, censorship, and the threat of imprisonment.
Women have been disproportionately affected by these measures. Of the remaining media professionals, only 560 are women, who continue to endure severe restrictions, both in their personal lives and in the workplace. The United Nations has described these measures as “gender apartheid.”
One of the most striking examples of gender-based censorship is the requirement that women wear face masks while appearing on television. In Helmand province, authorities have gone a step further by banning women’s voices from being broadcast on television and radio entirely. This censorship mirrors the Taliban’s earlier reign in the 1990s, when women were almost entirely excluded from public life.
Afghanistan’s standing in international press freedom rankings has plummeted since the Taliban’s return to power. In 2021, the country was ranked 122nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders. As of 2024, Afghanistan has dropped to 178th, just two places above the bottom-ranked countries.
The sharp decline in press freedom is attributed to several factors, including the intimidation and detention of journalists, the closure of independent media outlets, and the imposition of restrictive laws like the recent ban on images. Journalists have been subject to arbitrary detention and physical assault, while media outlets have struggled to operate in an environment where censorship is widespread and government oversight is growing more oppressive.
The Taliban’s recent law also explicitly prohibits the publication of content that mocks or humiliates Islam or contradicts Islamic law. Such provisions are so vague that they provide the Taliban government with broad discretion to target any form of media criticism or independent journalism.
The Taliban’s strict media policies are not new. During their first reign from 1996 to 2001, television and pictures of living beings were banned outright. The Taliban then regarded such depictions as a form of idolatry, which is forbidden in Islam. At the time, Afghanistan had virtually no independent media, and access to information was heavily restricted.
Following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, Afghanistan experienced a dramatic expansion of its media sector. Dozens of independent news organizations emerged, including radio stations, television networks, and online news outlets. Many Afghan journalists took advantage of the newfound press freedoms to report on issues like human rights, government corruption, and the Taliban insurgency.
However, after the Taliban’s return to power, these gains were quickly rolled back. The Taliban have consistently prioritized the regulation of media and information as a means of controlling public discourse and promoting their own interpretations of Islamic law. The current media crackdown is part of a broader campaign to reshape Afghan society according to the Taliban’s vision of a strict, Islamic state.
The Taliban’s pledge to enforce a law banning images of living things has elicited concern from Afghan journalists and international organizations alike. While the PVPV insists that the law will be implemented gradually and without force, many fear it will further curtail freedoms in a country where the media is already under intense pressure.
The international community, including organizations like Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, has condemned the Taliban’s media restrictions. They argue that the laws amount to censorship, stifling free expression and undermining the role of a free press in a democratic society.
Human rights groups have also expressed alarm over the Taliban’s treatment of women in the media, particularly the ban on women’s voices in Helmand province. They point out that these policies represent a rollback of women’s rights and a continuation of the Taliban’s deeply patriarchal governance model.
The future of Afghanistan’s media sector remains uncertain under Taliban rule. While the government insists that it is merely enforcing Islamic law, many in the media see these regulations as an attempt to silence dissent and control the flow of information. Journalists face the dual threats of censorship and physical violence, while media outlets must navigate an increasingly repressive environment.
Despite these challenges, some Afghan journalists continue to work, albeit under difficult circumstances. They are driven by the belief that a free press is essential for holding the government accountable and informing the public about important issues. However, with the Taliban’s new law on images of living things set to be enforced gradually across the country, the space for independent journalism in Afghanistan may shrink even further.
As the world watches Afghanistan’s press freedoms erode, the resilience of the country’s media professionals will be tested. Their ability to adapt to these new restrictions and continue reporting under Taliban rule will determine the future of journalism in Afghanistan. For now, the media remains one of the last bastions of resistance in a country where many other freedoms have already been lost.
