Taliban Gradually Banning Images of Living Creatures in Media

The Taliban group has announced plans to gradually implement a law banning the publication of images of living creatures across all media outlets in Afghanistan. Saif Khaibar, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, told AFP on Monday, October 15th, that this law would be implemented “gradually” throughout the country.

Khaibar claimed that the aim of this measure is to convince people that displaying images of living beings is a “violation of Islamic law.” He emphasized that this is merely a “recommendation” and not compulsory. However, reports indicate that the implementation of this law has already begun in Kandahar, Helmand, and Takhar provinces.

This new Taliban initiative has raised serious concerns about freedom of expression and media rights in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, the number of media workers in Afghanistan has decreased from 8,400 to 5,100.

While the Taliban claim this action is based on Islamic principles, critics view it as an attempt to further restrict civil liberties. This comes at a time when the Taliban themselves extensively use social media and controlled media outlets for propaganda purposes.

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