News from Civsy, based on human monitoring, generative AI tools and retrieval-augumented real time data searchThe Taliban detained two prominent theater artists in Herat Province on January 1, 2026, one day after authorities announced enforcement of a ban prohibiting media from broadcasting images of living beings. Gholam Farooq Sarkhosh, a veteran theater artist with over three decades of experience who was recently elected head of the Herat Theater Artists' Union, and fellow theater artist Firoz Ahmad Malaeka were summoned by the Taliban's Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and subsequently detained after they criticized the restriction during a meeting with media representatives.
Azizurrahman Mohajer, head of the department in Herat, told journalists at the December 30 meeting that the ban was ordered directly by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and described broadcasting such images as a "sin" that "must be stopped." The prohibition stems from Article 17 of the Taliban's Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, signed in July 2024, which bans "the publication of images of living beings"—interpreted by Taliban officials to mean any depiction of humans or animals.
Uneven Regional Enforcement
The image ban has spread across at least 23 provinces since October 2024, though enforcement varies significantly by region. Some provincial authorities have implemented strict restrictions on television and visual media, while reporting from other areas suggests inconsistent application or resistance from local officials. The Afghanistan Journalists Center and Afghan media outlets have documented the ban's expansion, but independent verification of compliance rates across provinces remains limited. In provinces where the ban is enforced, television stations have either shut down or converted to radio-only operations, including state-run television in Paktia province, though the total number of affected outlets varies by source.
Amu TV reported in August 2025 that approximately 11 provinces, including Kabul, Balkh and Herat, still permitted television stations to broadcast images at that time, suggesting significant regional variation in how strictly authorities enforce the nationwide directive. Taliban officials at the provincial and district level do not always enforce central directives uniformly, and reporting on the ban's actual implementation remains difficult due to the Taliban's restrictions on independent journalism.
Pressure on Cultural Activities
Beyond the image ban, the Taliban has maintained restrictions on music, theater, dance, and visual arts since returning to power in August 2021. Journalists and musicians have reported arrests, intimidation, and pressure to cease artistic activities, though documentation of the scale and scope of these restrictions remains incomplete. Reports indicate that musical instruments have been seized and destroyed in some areas, and performers have faced interrogation or detention.
The regime closed Afghan Film, the country's only official institution for film production and archiving. In December 2025, the Taliban demolished Ariana Cinema in Kabul, one of Afghanistan's oldest cinemas, to make way for a shopping complex. Afghan film director Amir Shah Talash, now living in France, said the demolition destroyed not just a building but "the Afghan cinema lovers who resisted and continued their art despite the hardships and severe security problems." Numerous artists have fled the country or gone into hiding since 2021, though documenting the total number displaced or in hiding remains difficult given the restricted information environment.
Pakistani Court Provides Temporary Protection
As Afghanistan's artistic community faces intensifying restrictions, approximately 150 Afghan musicians and singers received temporary protection from deportation when Pakistan's Peshawar High Court issued an interim order on January 9, 2025. Justice Wiqar Ahmad directed the federal government to examine asylum applications and provide decisions within two months, stating that the petitioners "shall not be ousted from territory of Pakistan nor otherwise compelled to leave Pakistan and return to their native country Afghanistan" until final decisions are reached.
The musicians argued they face persecution if forced to return to Afghanistan, where artistic performance is criminalized. Pakistan has deported or pressured the return of significant numbers of Afghans since launching its deportation campaign in October-November 2023. Attorney Mumtaz Ahmed, who represented the musicians, called the ruling "significant relief for his clients, who have lived in fear and uncertainty for months."
Local Taliban authorities in Herat have not commented on the detention of Sarkhosh and Malaeka, and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
Two veteran theater artists detained in Afghanistan after criticizing Taliban's expanding image ban
Gholam Farooq Sarkhosh, head of Herat's Theater Artists' Union, and fellow theater artist Firoz Ahmad Malaeka were arrested on January 1, 2026, one day after Taliban authorities announced enforcement of a ban on broadcasting images of living beings in the province.
The prohibition, ordered by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, has now spread to at least 23 provinces, forcing television stations to shut down or convert to radio-only operations. The regime demolished historic Ariana Cinema in December 2025 and has maintained restrictions on music, theater, dance, and visual arts since returning to power in August 2021.
Meanwhile, 150 Afghan musicians and singers received temporary protection from deportation when Pakistan's Peshawar High Court ordered authorities to process their asylum applications within two months. The musicians argued they face persecution if forced to return to Afghanistan, where artistic performance is criminalized.
#Afghanistan #ArtisticFreedom #HumanRights #Taliban #FreedomOfExpression #CulturalHeritage #Censorship #MediaFreedom #Herat #RefugeeRights #ArtistAtRisk #PressRestrictions #AfghanArtists
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