Taliban Confirms Detentions Over Dubbing of Films Deemed ‘Un-Islamic’

Taliban Confirms Detentions Over Dubbing of Films Deemed ‘Un-Islamic’
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The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has confirmed that several individuals in Kabul have been arrested for dubbing films deemed to violate Islamic values, Afghanistan International reported. Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, the ministry’s spokesperson, announced on Friday that employees and managers from multiple media production companies were detained and their offices closed. Speaking to the Taliban-run national broadcaster, Khyber claimed that the dubbed films were distributed to foreign networks as part of a coordinated propaganda effort against Islamic principles.

Earlier this week, sources in Kabul informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s morality police had arrested dozens of young women from the Shahr-e Naw district. A relative of one detainee reported that approximately 100 women were taken from streets, markets, and hospitals and transferred to facilities managed by the ministry. A video obtained by Afghanistan International shows a group of frightened women surrounded by Taliban officers during the arrests.

The Taliban has not disclosed the legal grounds for the arrests or whether the detainees have access to legal counsel. This crackdown raises increasing concerns about the group’s tightening restrictions on media, women’s rights, and freedom of expression.