January 29, 2026
Mahmood Raqi, Kapisa province- The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) condemns the recent decision by de facto authorities in Kapisa to ban the publication of images of living beings and restrict video interviews, a move that severely undermines press freedom and access to information. This restrictive measure has led to the closure of the provincial branch of the national television station and has hindered visual content production across local media outlets, raising serious alarms about the shrinking space for independent journalism in the region.
According to local sources, including a journalist who requested anonymity for safety concerns, the directive was issued following a meeting held by the Department of Information and Culture on January 16, 2026, during which journalists were instructed to cease publishing images of living beings and to halt video interviews. The source linked this order to pressure from Molla Jamaluddin Mazhari, head of the provincial Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The ban, purportedly based on Article 17 of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has resulted in the immediate suspension of visual reporting by both state and private media outlets in the province, including national radio and television, Bakhtar News Agency, Kapisa magazine, and several private radio stations like Sada-e-Najrab, Neda-e-Haqiqat, and Tanin-e-Seda.
This development is part of a wider pattern of media restrictions across Afghanistan, with similar prohibitions enforced in 24 of the country's 34 provinces since the enactment of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in August 2024. The ongoing crackdown has resulted in the shuttering or transformation of numerous media outlets, further constraining the media landscape.
AFJC urges the de facto authorities to immediately lift the bans on publishing images of living beings and video interviews. Such restrictions are in direct violation of Afghanistan's international obligations to uphold freedom of expression and access to information.
We call on the de facto authorities to rescind these directives and to guarantee that media outlets can operate freely and safely, in accordance with Afghanistan Media law and international standards.