KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities in southern Kandahar province have suspended broadcasts of the local branch of state-run National Television for violating the newly enacted morality law.
The Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC) said on Tuesday, September 3, that the suspension is a result of the Taliban’s new vice and virtue law, which prohibits images of living beings.
“This is a serious setback for the country’s visual media landscape, and this action is a violation of the country’s media law,” AFJC said.
“The state-run television under Taliban control already lacks the freedom to operate and to fairly cover events in both Kabul and the provinces,” it added.
According to the watchdog, the Taliban-controlled TV station operated regularly from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with most of its programming focused on religious, social, cultural, and sports content and a few hours dedicated to news coverage.
“The broadcast of RTA in Kandahar had been significantly restricted by local Taliban authorities, notably due to a directive issued last year by the Taliban governor in Kandahar prohibiting photography and filming of Taliban official meetings,” AFJC stated.
“However, the situation worsened last month following the Taliban’s enactment of the new morality law,” it added.
AFJC further stated that the TV station continues to rebroadcast programs from its main office in Kabul. However, it expressed concern about the possibility of a complete suspension of the media.
The watchdog has urged the Taliban authorities to reconsider their decision and permit the media to operate in accordance with Afghanistan’s media laws.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan’s once-vibrant media sector has nearly collapsed, with numerous outlets closed or silenced and hundreds of journalists and media workers fled the country.
The Taliban’s enactment of the new so-called “Vice and Virtue” law, approved by its supreme leader and published last month, has exacerbated the situation by imposing further restrictions on media in the country.
Article 17 of the 35-article law requires the Taliban’s morality police to prevent the publication of content considered contrary to Sharia and images of living beings.
Furthermore, Article 29 of the law prohibits the “misuse” of tape recorders, radios, and similar devices and the “unauthorized” taking or viewing of images or videos depicting living beings on computers or mobile phones.
AFJC, however, argues that these articles of the law are “ambiguous” and open to varying interpretations, which leads to further suppression of media and journalists.
