Taliban’s Ban on Broadcasting Living Beings Forces TV Channels in Takhar to Shut Down

Television channels in Afghanistan’s Takhar Province have suspended operations following a Taliban directive banning the broadcast of footage featuring living beings, Amu TV reported yesterday.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) reported that both the state-run Radio Television of Afghanistan (RTA) and private stations must comply with this order from the Taliban’s Department of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, announced on Sunday.

This ban extends to all media in the province, mirroring similar restrictions in Kandahar and Maidan Wardak, where officials are prohibited from appearing on camera. Instead, they must communicate with the media through audio or written formats.

Private channels Mah-e Noor and Raihan have ceased broadcasting footage of people, opting for alternative communication methods to avoid repercussions. The decree has sparked widespread condemnation, with critics asserting that the Taliban’s policies are further eroding basic freedoms and stifling independent media voices in Afghanistan.