KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local Taliban authorities in northern Takhar province have banned photography and video recording at gatherings, including official meetings, seminars, and workshops, according to local sources.
Speaking with KabulNow today, the sources said that the Taliban Department of Information and Culture in the province informed reporters that they are no longer allowed to take pictures and videos at gatherings.
According to the sources, the department instructed Taliban authorities in the province to refrain from conducting video interviews and to prevent journalists from producing visual reports.
The local Taliban authorities have yet to comment on the matter. However, similar restrictions on media and journalists have been imposed by the Taliban in several other provinces.
Earlier in February, local Taliban authorities in southern Kandahar province banned photography and filming during official meetings, instructing journalists and media workers to provide reports only in written and audio formats.
Since taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed increasing restrictions on journalists and media outlets, despite previously acknowledging the Afghanistan Media Law that prohibits interference in media activities. Since then, the regime has issued more than 17 directives that severely limit press freedom and access to information.
The Taliban’s news morality law, enacted in August, has further deteriorated the conditions for media and journalists who are still struggling in Afghanistan’s media sector.
The law mandates the Taliban morality police to closely monitor media outlets and prevent the publication of content deemed contrary to Sharia, as well as images of living beings.
Last month, the regime suspended the operations of the local branch of state-run National Television in Kandahar for violating the new law by displaying images of living beings during their programs.
The Taliban’s media restrictions have resulted in the closure of over half of Afghanistan’s once-thriving free media sector, forcing hundreds of journalists and media professionals to leave the country.
In a report in March, the Afghanistan Journalist’s Support Organization (AJSO), a German-based Afghan media watchdog, revealed that following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, only 13 out of 91 print newspapers, 68 out of 248 TV channels, and 211 out of 438 radio stations remain operational in the country.
According to the AJSO report, the remaining outlets either relocated outside the country or shut down due to Taliban restrictions or financial challenges.
