Date: 04/07/1401

Officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have ordered media outlets to ensure that all female guests appearing on their programs must cover their faces. Media organizations have been warned that if women do not comply, they should not be invited to appear on air.

Several television networks in Kabul told Afghanistan International that, in addition to this face-covering mandate, the Taliban imposed other unspecified restrictions on Sunday. This directive follows earlier orders that prohibit female media presenters from appearing on air without wearing masks.

This directive extends the Taliban’s face-covering mandate into the media sector, further erasing women's visibility in public life. By making participation in broadcasts conditional on wearing a mask, the Taliban undermine women’s freedom of expression and impose strict gender segregation in professional spaces. The policy not only violates personal autonomy and gender equality, but also constitutes a form of ideological censorship that curtails press freedom and silences female voices in Afghan media.