Afghan media in some provinces told to stop showing images of living beings

Media have stopped showing images of living beings in some Afghan provinces to comply with morality laws, an official confirms.

In August, the country’s Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws regulating aspects of everyday life like public transportation, shaving, the media and celebrations reflecting authorities’ interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.

Article 17 bans the publication of images of living beings, sparking concerns about the consequences for Afghan media and press freedom.

A spokesman for the Vice and Virtue Ministry, Saif ul Islam Khyber, says government media in the provinces of Takhar, Maidan Wardak and Kandahar have been advised not to air or show images of anything with a soul — meaning people and animals.

Hujjatullah Mujadidi, the director of the Afghan Independent Journalists Union, says that Vice and Virtue Ministry officials initially told state media to stop running pictures and videos of living beings. This request was later extended to all media in those provinces.

“Last night, independent local media [in some provinces] also stopped running these videos and images and are instead broadcasting nature videos,” Mujadidi says.