Ban on Publishing Images of Living Beings; Visual Media in Helmand on the Verge of Closure

A local source in Helmand told the Afghanistan Journalists Center that this order was officially issued last week, on Thursday (24 October), by Shir Mohammad Wahdat, the head of information at the Taliban's Information and Culture Department in Helmand.

Wahdat emphasized that according to the law on promoting virtue and preventing vice, taking pictures and conducting video interviews is prohibited, and media outlets are only allowed to operate in written and audio formats.

Following this order, Helmand National Television and the private "Sabawon" television station are on the verge of closure.

Noting that Helmand was the first province to ban photography for a month in 2022 and then lift it, the Afghanistan Journalists Center added that it was also the first province to ban the broadcasting of women's voices in media, even in advertisements and health messages, in August 2023.

It is worth mentioning that Helmand is the fourth province where the publication of images of living beings has been banned, and this restriction has previously been implemented in the provinces of Badghis, Takhar, and Kandahar. Similar restrictions have been imposed in the provinces of Logar, Maidan Wardak, and Daikundi.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has condemned this order and warned of the spread of these restrictions to other provinces. The organization stated that this order could have devastating consequences for the media and lead to the closure of television stations.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center described this Taliban action as "extremely regressive and illogical" and called on the Taliban leader to reconsider this decision.

According to the Taliban's law on promoting virtue and preventing vice, the publication of images of living beings is prohibited, and Taliban agents are allowed to prevent the publication of such images in the media.