ISLAMABAD –
The Afghan Taliban government on Sunday began imposing an order requiring all women TV news anchors to cover their faces while on the air. This move is part of a hard shift that has provoked condemnation of rights activists.
After the order was announced on Thursday, only a handful of news outlets complied. But on Sunday, most anchor women were seen with their faces covered after the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue began implementing the decree.
The Ministry of Information and Culture previously announced that the policy was “final and non-negotiable”.
“It’s just an external culture imposed on us that forces us to wear masks, and that can be a problem for us as we present our programs,” said Sonia Niazi, a TOLOnews television presenter. In solidarity with colleagues, the channel’s male staff covered their faces with masks, including the main reader of the evening news.
An employee of the local media confirmed that his station received the order last week, but on Sunday it was forced to carry it out after being told it was out of the question. He spoke on condition that he and his station remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the Taliban.
During the last Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 1996-2001, they imposed enormous restrictions on women, requiring them to wear a comprehensive burqa and banning them from public life and education.
After regaining power in August, the Taliban initially seemed to ease some restrictions by declaring no dress code for women. But in recent weeks, they have drawn a sharp, hard line that has confirmed activists’ worst fears of rights and further complicated the Taliban’s relationship with the already distrustful international community.
Earlier this month, the Taliban ordered all women in public to wear clothing from head to toe that leaves only their eyes visible. The decree states that women should leave home only when necessary and that male relatives will be punished for violating women’s dress codes, starting with a summons and ending with court hearings and imprisonment.
The Taliban leadership also banned girls from attending school after sixth grade, overturning previous Taliban promises that girls of all ages would have the right to education.
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