The Taliban’s Fear of Everything Alive and Aware; Once Again Ban Broadcasting Images of Living Beings in Several Provinces

Image: AFP/VOAnews

In continuation of the Taliban’s repressive policies against the media and fundamental freedoms, the group has once again banned the broadcasting of images of living beings on visual media and online platforms in several provinces of Afghanistan.

Reliable sources confirmed to Zan News that the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in some provinces has informally and verbally warned media owners and journalists that from now on, they must not air images of living beings, especially human faces, including those of presenters, guests, and even cultural or artistic figures in their visual programs.

According to these sources, the Taliban have emphasized that faces must either be completely removed or blurred to hide them from viewers. This comes at a time when, in many of these provinces, local media remain the only source of public information, and the directive has effectively suffocated visual journalism.

A media official, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Zan News:

“The Taliban have warned us both in person and by phone that if we broadcast images of any living being, they will shut down the outlet. They told us to hide even the faces of presenters and guests. This is no longer journalism, it is absolute censorship.”

This Taliban decision continues a chain of restrictions that has shadowed Afghanistan’s media landscape since the group’s return to power in 2021. From banning music and women’s on-screen appearances to arresting journalists, the crackdown has now reached the complete destruction of imagery itself.

Media experts and human rights activists view this move as part of the Taliban’s systematic effort to erase freedom of expression and silence every independent voice in the country.

A media activist reacting to the Taliban’s order said:

“When you cannot show images, when you cannot see reality, what remains is only darkness and distortion. This Taliban action is not just censorship, it is a denial of truth and humanity.”

While the Taliban claim that such censorship stems from religious rulings, many Islamic scholars and experts reject this extreme interpretation, describing it instead as a political tool to exert control and suppress the media.

In the absence of independent media watchdogs and without any means of civil protest, Afghanistan’s media outlets have either resorted to self-censorship or completely ceased operations.

With such decrees, the future of journalism in Afghanistan appears darker and more uncertain than ever before.