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The Committee to Protect Journalists says the Taliban’s “stop-evil law” gives them more power to censor and restrict the media.
In a statement released on Friday, the head of the council’s Asia division, Abu Bhairi, called the Taliban’s good and evil law another heavy blow to freedom of expression in Afghanistan. He said the Taliban has been harassing and suppressing journalists and activists for the past three years.
The Taliban recently passed the law, which consists of four chapters and 35 articles. Article 17 of the law prohibits the media from publishing images of ghosts.
In Article 13, women’s voice, including singing, naat and recitation, is also called “awrat”. The covering of the whole body of women is the first part of this article.
The Taliban had previously imposed severe restrictions on the media and freedom of expression, ordering them to broadcast their programs in accordance with the Taliban government’s policies.
Media activists say the Taliban’s laws will block almost all media activity and there are fears that video outlets will soon be shut down.
Afghanistan will become a horrible prison as new anti-good law comes into effect: Sediqullah Tawhidi
Sediqullah Tawhidi, a journalists’ rights activist and former head of the Free Media Support Organization of Afghanistan, told RFE/RL:
“The Ban on Good Deeds Law, which the Taliban leader has just signed, will make Afghanistan, which is already a prison, a very terrible prison if it is implemented. This law gives government agencies many powers that they should not have in the field of personal privacy, and gives the Ban on Good Deeds Agency and its accountants, who want to establish a religious school in Afghanistan, a Deobandi religious school that is inclusive of other religious ideas. He has no Islamic scholars and does not tolerate dissent.”
A ban on joint programming between male and female anchors and a ban on female journalists wearing masks or face coverings were other early Taliban restrictions on the media that sparked widespread reactions.
The limited number of female presenters remaining on Afghan television are forced to wear masks.
CPJ noted that the Taliban command’s annual report said 90 percent of its video, audio and print media policies had been implemented and more than 13,000 people had been arrested for violations.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said many journalists and media workers were among those arrested.
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