KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities in Herat province have banned the broadcasting of images of living beings, ordering television channels and YouTubers to stop showing such content.
Local sources said Azizurrahman Mohajer, head of the Taliban Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat, announced the ban during a meeting with media officials on Tuesday. He described broadcasting images of living beings as a “sin” that “must be stopped.”
At least eight television stations, including the state-run RTA, and dozens of YouTube channels are currently registered and operating in Herat, according to the sources.
The ban is part of a wider set of restrictions under the so-called morality law approved by the hardline Taliban leader in August 2024. The law forbids photographs and films of “animate beings,” deeming them “against Sharia,” and instructs journalists to rely on written and audio reports instead of live images.
Since the law’s introduction, the ban has gradually been enforced across Afghanistan, affecting at least 22 out of 34 provinces, including major cities such as Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, and Nangarhar. As a result, dozens of television stations have either closed or switched to radio-only broadcasting.
Media watchdogs have condemned the restrictions as “illegal and extremely backward,” urging the Taliban to lift the ban and allow journalists to work freely.
Over four years into their rule, the Taliban have issued more than 20 directives limiting press freedom. Female journalists are particularly affected, facing bans on broadcasting their voices in some provinces and being required to wear masks while reporting live.
Afghanistan now ranks 178th out of 180 countries in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, falling 44 places in just one year. More than half of the country’s media outlets have shut down since 2021, and of about 470 outlets still operating, most can only publish content in line with Taliban directives, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
