KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – State-run TV in northern Balkh province has switched to radio after the Taliban banned airing images of living beings, media watchdog reports, bringing the total number of affected provinces to 21.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) said on Friday that Taliban governor for Balkh, Yousuf Wafa, directed local officials to stop giving televised interviews. Local sources told the watchdog the decision followed visits by some officials to Kandahar, where they were instructed to enforce the ban on images of living beings.
According to AFJC, local media in Balkh have come under growing pressure in recent months, including independent journalists being prevented from attending events and press conferences in the provincial capital, Mazar-e-Sharif.
The watchdog warned that the restrictions will have a serious impact on television and radio stations, including their online activities. In addition to state-run National TV and Radio, five other media outlets operate in Balkh: Arzu Radio and TV, Safir TV, Shahr Ara TV, Rabia Balkhi Radio, and Police Radio.
Similar bans, part of the Taliban’s so-called morality law enacted last year, are already in place in 20 other provinces, including Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Daykundi, Faryab, and Panjshir.
The AFJC called on the Taliban to lift the ban and other media restrictions, urging authorities to allow journalists to work freely without fear of censorship or punishment.
Despite early promises to respect Afghanistan’s Media Law, which prohibits censorship and government interference, the Taliban has issued over 20 directives limiting media freedom. More than half of the country’s media outlets have closed, while many journalists have fled or gone into hiding.
Female journalists face particularly severe restrictions, including enforced gender segregation in newsrooms, bans on broadcasting their voices in some provinces, and being required to wear masks while live on air.
