Afghanistan Peace Campaign
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) announced that the National Television broadcasting under Taliban control in Takhar has been halted. During a meeting with journalists and local media officials, officials from the Department of Promotion of Virtue in Takhar banned photography and the broadcast of images.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center reported that National Television in Takhar ceased operations yesterday after receiving orders from the head of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of the Vice Department in Takhar.
The department opposed the broadcast of images of living creatures on television, citing it as being against the orders of the Taliban leader and the new regulations of the Promotion of Virtue.
However, the Takhar television transmitters continue broadcasting National Television programs from Kabul.
Yesterday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the ban on broadcasting images would gradually begin in the provinces.
Takhar is the second province, after Kandahar, where the image ban has been enforced, leading to the shutdown of television activities.
National Television Takhar was the last active media outlet in the province. Before the Taliban’s rise to power, several other television stations, including Mehr, Mah No, Berlik, Noorin, Omid Farda, and Reyhan, were operating in Takhar. These stations have since been shut down due to censorship and restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
The closure of media outlets in provinces like Takhar reflects the growing media suppression in Afghanistan, severely limiting press freedom and the ability of local journalists to operate.
This continued clampdown on media and freedom of expression further isolates society, leaving communities without access to independent news and information sources in the country.