Afghanistan’s morality ministry has implemented a law that bans pictures of living things in news media. 

This decision came after the Taliban govt recently announced legislation formalizing their legislation of strict interpretation of Islamic laws that have been imposed since they came into power in 2021.

Ban on pictures of living things 

"The law applies to all Afghanistan... and it will be implemented gradually," the spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP, he further added that officials would work to persuade people that images of living things are against Islamic law.

"Coercion has no place in the implementation of the law," he said.

"It's only advice, and convincing people these things are really contrary to sharia (law) and must be avoided.”

The new laws listed a set of rules including directing media outlets not to degrade Islam or go against Islamic law, and banning the release of pictures of any living thing.

Despite the fact that these regulations have been put into place, they have not yet been fully adhered to since officials have been sharing images of individuals on social media. 

How does it affects journalism?

 AFP was informed by journalists in Kandahar that they had not heard from the ministry or been halted by morality police for taking pictures and films.

PVPV officials called in local journalists on Sunday in the central Ghazni province, informing them that the morality police would begin progressively enforcing the rule.

A visual journalist who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation told AFP that they suggested visual journalists film fewer events and capture pictures from a greater distance "to get in the habit".

In a similar meeting, reporters from Maidan Wardak province were also informed that the guidelines would be enforced gradually.

Before the Taliban took power again in 2001, they outlawed television and images of living creatures nationwide from 1996 to 2001. However, since then, they have not implemented a comparable decree nationwide.

Afghanistan had 8,400 media workers when the Taliban administration took over the nation following a two-decade conflict against governments supported by international powers.

Media sector sources claim that just 5,100 people, including 560 women, are still employed in the field.

Additionally, in a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) list of 180 nations on press freedom, Afghanistan dropped from 122nd to 178th place.