The Afghanistan Journalists Center has strongly condemned the recent ban on broadcasting live images in Sar-e Pol province, describing it as a clear violation of freedom of expression and media rights. The center warned that such restrictions severely limit public access to information.

The Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Sar-e Pol issued the ban during a meeting held on July 14, 2025, with Khairullah Khairkhah, the department's representative, informing local media outlets about the prohibition. According to the directive, media are barred from publishing any live images of living beings, including on social networks.

This restriction was previously enforced in nineteen other provinces such as Kandahar, Takhar, and Helmand. With Sar-e Pol now added, it becomes the twentieth province under this media limitation. Local sources report that this ban forced Sar-e Pol's national television station to operate only as a radio, as officials refuse to take part in video interviews.

Several media outlets in Sar-e Pol, including private radios like Seda-e Sar-e Pol, Banoo, and Anbir, as well as the provincial branch of Bakhtar News Agency and the state-run Sar-e Pol publication, are heavily impacted by these new restrictions. A local journalist, who requested anonymity, confirmed that media work has been seriously curtailed by the ban.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center urged the Taliban to immediately revoke this and other anti-media orders to ensure an environment where journalists can operate freely and safely. The organization emphasized that protecting press freedoms is essential for an informed and transparent society.

The ban on live images in Sar-e Pol marks a troubling expansion of media restrictions in Afghanistan, further silencing journalists and limiting citizens' right to information. Such measures undermine the principles of free expression and democratic engagement.

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