Ban on Photographing Living Beings; Journalists in Herat: We May Lose Our Jobs

Several agents of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue, wearing white cloaks, entered the hall during the event and warned all visual media journalists not to take any photos or videos.

Meanwhile, some journalists from visual media expressed concern over this action by the Taliban, saying that the ban on filming living beings might cause them to lose their jobs.

Hashim, a pseudonym for one of the journalists in Herat who has been working as a visual reporter for over five years, stated that due to the ban on filming living beings, he may be forced to take up manual labor.

"Just look at today, these officials are not allowing us to take pictures. Maybe in a month, no one will be allowed to carry cameras, and personally, since I have 10 dependents at home, I will have to go to Iran or Pakistan for labor work."

Another journalist from a local media outlet in Herat, also using a pseudonym, complained about the actions of the Taliban's Department for the Promotion of Virtue and called for the removal of these restrictions. "If you look at these people, they have hundreds of photos of themselves and their children on their phones. But when it comes to media, they say we don't have permission to take pictures or videos. Well, what does television mean without images? How can we prove an event has taken place? The government must make a decision on this and allow us to work without restrictions."

The authorities of the Taliban's Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat have banned filming and photographing living beings, while in most other provinces, the activities of the national television, under Taliban control, have also been suspended due to the prohibition of filming living beings.