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All female television presenters in Afghanistan have been ordered by the Taliban to cover their faces while on air – as at least one host hit out at the move, saying it was “erasing” women.
The “final and non-negotiable” order came from the virtue and vice ministry as well as the information and culture ministry, according to a tweet by the TOLOnews channel, which is the country’s biggest media outlet.
The instruction was sent to the Moby Group, which owns TOLOnews and a number of other TV and radio networks, and the message said it was also being applied to other Afghan media.
Several female anchors and presenters posted their photos on social media showing them with their faces covered with face masks while presenting programmes.
A prominent TOLO host, Yalda Ali, posted a video of herself putting on a face mask with the caption: “A woman being erased, on orders from the virtue and vice ministry.”
Implementation of the order was mixed on the Shamshad TV station, with one woman anchor appearing with a face mask on Thursday, while another later in the day showed her face without a mask.
An unnamed Afghan local media official confirmed his station had received the order and was told it was not up for debate.
The Taliban had initially seemed to be more understanding of female rights with no dress code for women after they reclaimed power last August.
But in recent weeks, the rulers have become more strict, confirming the worst fears of rights activists.
The Taliban ordered women in public to be covered in clothing from head-to-toe, leaving just their eyes visible and to only leave the house when necessary, in a decree earlier this month.
It said male relatives would be published for women violating the dress code.
A decree was also issued to ban girls from attending school after the sixth grade, a U-turn on earlier promises to allow education for girls of all ages.
The Taliban had previously ruled from 1996-2001 where they brought in tough restrictions on women, requiring them to wear the all-covering burka with a mesh screen to cover the eyes.
Women were also banned from education and public life.
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