In a significant move, Afghanistan’s Taliban morality ministry announced on Monday its intention to enforce a law that prohibits news media from publishing images of all living beings. Journalists have been informed that this rule will be implemented gradually.
This announcement follows the recent introduction of legislation formalizing the application of Shariah law within the country.
Saiful Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV), told AFP that “the law applies to all Afghanistan” and emphasized that the implementation would be a gradual process. Khyber added that officials aim to persuade the public that images of living things contradict Islamic law, stating, “Coercion has no place in the implementation of the law.”
Instead, he described the effort as one of “advice” to convince people that such images must be avoided in accordance with Sharia.
The new legislation outlines several guidelines for news outlets, including the prohibition of images depicting living beings and a directive to avoid any content that disrespects religion or contravenes Shariah law. While some elements of the law have yet to be strictly enforced, there are already recommendations for the public to refrain from taking or viewing images of living things on phones and other devices.
