RASC News Agency: The Taliban have extended their restrictions on media, implementing a formal ban on capturing and broadcasting images of living creatures in Nuristan province. This latest directive is part of the group’s ongoing campaign to curtail media freedoms and prohibit the dissemination of visual content across social and traditional platforms. The Afghanistan Journalists Center reported on Tuesday that the Taliban’s Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Nuristan officially announced the prohibition of photographing and broadcasting living creatures within the province.
Previously, the Taliban imposed similar restrictions in other provinces, including Nangarhar, Kandahar, and Herat. The group claims that broadcasting images of living beings is prohibited under Islamic law and that sharing such visuals constitutes a sinful act. Additionally, the Taliban have barred their local officials from participating in media interviews, particularly video interviews, further restricting information flow. According to the Journalists Center, the Nuristan Directorate of Promotion of Virtue issued this directive on Monday, January 6, through a formal statement on X. The announcement, made by Din Mohammad Mustaghni, the director of the office, took place in the presence of Nuristan’s provincial governor and other Taliban officials. Mustaghni stated that the directive was issued based on Article 17 of the Taliban’s “Law of Propagation of Virtue” and must be strictly enforced.
Nuristan is home to at least four media outlets, including a national radio-television station. Local sources revealed that the national television station in Nuristan does not produce localized content. Previously, before the prohibition on broadcasting images of living creatures, reports from Nuristan were aired through the national television headquarters in Kabul. Similarly, visual reports from the Nuristan branch of Bakhtar News Agency were forwarded to Kabul for broadcast. The Afghanistan Journalists Center also noted that following the announcement of this directive, the Nuristan governor’s office ceased sharing images of living creatures on its official Facebook page. Instead, it has resorted to posting pictures of government buildings.
The Taliban’s ban on broadcasting images has drawn sharp criticism from media organizations and international watchdogs. Critics have described the directive as alarming, regressive, and detrimental to Afghanistan’s media landscape. Despite these concerns, the Taliban remain resolute in enforcing their order, disregarding growing opposition from national and global entities.
