Taliban Expands Media Crackdown, Bans Images Of Living Beings In Jowzjan

The Taliban’s Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Jowzjan province has ordered local media to cease publishing photographs and videos of living beings, intensifying a growing wave of censorship across Afghanistan.

The directive, effective as of 10 April 2025, stems from a decree by the group’s supreme leader and applies to both state-run and private media outlets in the province.

A formal letter obtained by Afghanistan International, issued during a recent provincial administrative meeting, confirms the restriction. “All state and non-state institutions in Jowzjan province are obligated to refrain from taking photographs or filming events, gatherings, and consultations involving living beings,” the document reads. “Publishing such content constitutes a major sin.”

The head of the virtue directorate in Jowzjan emphasised that the order is non-negotiable, citing strict adherence to the supreme leader’s decree. While the ban initially targets government-affiliated media, officials warned that private outlets will soon face the same restrictions, pending further guidance from Taliban leadership in Kabul.

This development follows a pattern of escalating media controls. On 28 March, similar prohibitions were introduced in provinces including Kandahar, Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan, and Nimroz. The Afghanistan Journalists Center reports that as of late March, outlets in at least 10 provinces were already operating under comparable rules. Media watchdog Free Speech Hub has raised concerns that these measures could foreshadow a nationwide ban on all visual depictions of living beings.

The restrictions are rooted in the Taliban’s "Promotion of Virtue Law," enacted in 2024. Article 17 of the legislation explicitly forbids photographing or distributing images of living beings, reflecting the group’s austere interpretation of Islamic principles. Critics argue the policy severely undermines press freedom and access to information in Afghanistan.

Local sources indicate that enforcement in Jowzjan began immediately, with both media organisations and government bodies adjusting operations to comply. The move marks yet another step in the Taliban’s broader campaign to reshape public life since reclaiming power in 2021.