RASC News Agency: The Organization for the Protection of Journalists has reported that the Taliban have extended their crackdown on press freedom by banning journalists in Herat Province from filming. This restriction follows a recent directive issued by the Taliban’s Department of Vice and Virtue (Amr bil Maruf), which forbids local officials in Herat from participating in televised interviews.
Herat is now the sixth province where the Taliban have outlawed filming and on-camera interviews. Similar prohibitions were previously imposed in Sheikh Zayed University, Parwan University, and Nangarhar Province. Additionally, filming and photography have been entirely banned in Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, and Helmand provinces, leading to the closure of both state-owned and private television stations in these areas.
In response, the Organization for the Protection of Journalists issued a statement condemning these restrictions as a “direct assault on press freedom and a significant hindrance to professional journalism.” The organization stressed that filming is an indispensable tool for journalists to gather and disseminate accurate, evidence-based information. It warned that the Taliban’s actions not only curtail media freedoms but also violate the fundamental rights of Afghanistani citizens to access truthful and reliable news. Since implementing their “Amr bil Maruf” law, the Taliban have increasingly imposed draconian restrictions on media operations. The regime has demanded the cessation of visual content in broadcasts, further tightening its grip on the flow of information.
Under this law, the Taliban have declared women’s voices as “Awrah” (inappropriate for public exposure) and deemed live filming, on-camera interviews, and the depiction of living beings in visual media as “Haram” (forbidden). These measures form part of a systematic campaign to stifle free expression and enforce absolute control over media and public discourse in Afghanistan.
