RASC News Agency: According to France News Agency (AFP), the Taliban is gradually enforcing a nationwide ban on capturing images of living creatures in Afghanistan. This restriction is being implemented by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, based on new legislation introduced by the group. The AFP report cites Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the ministry, stating that the prohibition is grounded in Islamic law, which does not permit the depiction of living beings. He urged that this practice must be gradually abandoned by the population.
Khyber further detailed that enforcement has already begun in various provinces, such as Takhar, Maidan Wardak, and Kandahar, where photography and videography involving living creatures have been strictly prohibited. The spokesperson clarified that this new law is not limited to media professionals but applies universally to all citizens. The recent ruling also includes a ban on broadcasting women’s voices and their faces in the media.
In recent weeks, journalists in provinces like Takhar, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, and Kandahar have been explicitly forbidden from photographing or filming living creatures. Notably, Taliban officials continue to use their own images in social and visual media, despite imposing stringent restrictions on media outlets and the broader public.
