Taliban expand ban on filming living beings to more provinces

The Taliban have expanded their ban on capturing and broadcasting images of living beings to the provinces of Zabul and Parwan, according to the Afghanistan Journalists’ Center (AFJC).

The directive, issued by the Taliban-run Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, prohibits local media and institutions from filming or photographing people and animals — a move the AFJC warns will have “far-reaching negative consequences” for press freedom and the public’s right to information.

Sources also confirmed that similar instructions were recently issued in Badakhshan and Jawzjan, where Taliban departments for the promotion of virtue ordered a complete halt to filming and photography under the group’s so-called Promotion of Virtue Law.

In Jawzjan, a formal letter was sent to the provincial governor’s office declaring that all government departments in Sheberghan and surrounding districts must refrain from capturing images of individuals. The letter, signed by Taliban-appointed governor Gol Haidar Shafaq, warned that violating the order would be considered a “grave sin” and would carry consequences.

In Zabul, local journalists told the AFJC that the ban was communicated verbally. As a result, the local branch of National Television has ceased its televised programming and now only broadcasts via radio.

The AFJC expressed deep concern over the escalating restrictions on media, saying such orders not only violate freedom of expression but also undermine the ability of citizens to access accurate and timely information.