Afghan broadcasters ignore Taliban order to cover faces on TV | abroad
Female announcers from several major TV channels in Afghanistan appeared on television on Saturday without covering their faces, despite the Taliban’s order to do so.
Earlier this month, the Taliban’s supreme leader in Afghanistan, Hebatullah Akhundzadeh, issued a decree requiring women to wear the burqa in public. The so-called Ministry of Promoting Virtue and Preventing Sin has called on Afghan TV channels to impose a dress code from Saturday. Previously, female television journalists were only required to wear a headscarf.
However, TOLOnews, Shamshad TV and 1TV all broadcast live programs in which the faces of the presenters were not covered. “Our female colleagues are worried that if they do a nap now, they will be told the next step to stop working,” Shamshad TV editor-in-chief, Abed Ehsas, told AFP.
A ministry spokesman warned on Saturday that the women risked being fired if they did not comply with the order. In addition, men are also at risk of losing their jobs if their wives or daughters are against the dress code.
More and more restrictions on women
After taking power in August, the extremist Islamic organization said it plans to respect women’s rights in Afghanistan. But in recent months, a ban on girls’ education has been announced.
Afghan women have also been banned from appearing on TV soap operas since November, and since March they are only allowed to board the plane if they are accompanied by a male family member. All kinds of restrictions on women were reinstated, especially at the local level.
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