KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban authorities in eastern Nangarhar province have ordered local officials not to take or share photographs or conduct video interviews with media outlets, media watchdog reported.
The Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC) reported the new restriction on Wednesday, expressing concern about its implications on media operations and access to information in the region.
According to the AFJC, the new order was issued by Taliban deputy governor Molla Azizullah Mostafa and communicated via a joint WhatsApp group for local officials and media representatives in the province.
The Taliban deputy governor, according to the watchdog, ordered local officials to communicate only in writing and conduct media interviews solely in audio format. Additionally, officials were instructed to use images of signs, logos, or government buildings instead of images of living beings.
This ban follows similar restrictions already in effect in four other provinces, including Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, and Helmand, which have led to the closure of both state and private TV stations.
The media watchdog urged the Taliban authorities to reconsider this ban and called for the revocation of all media restrictions imposed over the past three years.
“It is crucial that media outlets operate freely and that journalists can perform their duties without fear, in accordance with international standards of press freedom,” AFJC said.
The new media restriction follows the recent implementation of the Taliban’s so-called morality law, which imposes stricter control on media, including a ban on broadcasts of images of living beings.
Since returning to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban, despite previously acknowledging the Afghanistan Media Law, which prohibits interference with press activities, have issued at least 21 directives that severely limit press freedom and access to information.
The Taliban’s media restrictions have led to the closure of more than half of Afghanistan’s once-thriving free media sector, forcing hundreds of journalists and media professionals to flee the country.
The Afghanistan Journalist’s Support Organization (AJSO), a German-based media watchdog, reported in March that following the Taliban takeover, only 13 of 91 print newspapers, 68 of 248 TV channels, and 211 of 438 radio stations remain active in the country.
The remaining outlets, according to the watchdog, either closed due to Taliban restrictions and financial challenges or relocated outside the country.
