The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) announced that Farah Province’s state television has been converted to radio due to increased pressure from the Taliban under their “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law. This decision followed the Taliban’s ban on live broadcasts in media.
According to a statement released late yesterday, Thursday,March 6, by AFJC, Farah TV now only airs audio programs and uses static images instead of live visuals on digital platforms. While the ban has not yet been enforced on private media, some Taliban officials in the province refuse to participate in video interviews.
The Taliban’s “Promotion of Virtue” law, issued in August 2023, prohibits live television broadcasts and tasks the group’s enforcement units with implementing the policy. Farah is the seventh province to face these restrictions in the past six months. Earlier, the ban was officially imposed in Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand, Nangarhar, and Nuristan provinces.
The journalists’ center condemned this move as a sign of “oppressive policies and information censorship” and urged the Taliban to revoke “illegal restrictions” on freedom of expression and media rights. AFJC emphasized that access to information is a fundamental right of citizens and media.
