After a day of resistance, Afghan female TV journalists have yielded to the Taliban government’s orders and covered their faces during their TV appearances. Presenters and reporters of the morning news in the main Afghan broadcasters appeared on Sunday wearing headscarves and face veils or masks that left only their eyes visible. The day before, many of them had resisted and showed their faces uncovered.
The infamous Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice had ordered all female TV journalists from Saturday to appear with their faces covered. It thus forced a decree from Taliban leader Hibatullah Achundsada, according to which women, and especially female officials, are only allowed to appear in public in full veil.
They risk being fired if they break the rules. Fathers, husbands or male guardians of the affected women also risk punishment – as do TV executives who fail to enforce this order.
“TOLOnews was put under pressure
“We fought back, we didn’t want to wear masks,” TOLOnews moderator Sonja Niasi told AFP news agency on Sunday. “But TOLOnews was pressured”. According to her, the broadcaster should transfer or fire all female journalists who – as has been the norm until now – only appear with a headscarf. “Then we were forced to cover our mouth and nose.” TOLOnews director Chpolwak Sapai confirmed Niasi’s statements. “We were told, ‘You have to do it. There’s no other way,'” Sapai said. “Yesterday I was called and asked in clear terms. We are not doing it voluntarily.”
No more movies with women on TV
In solidarity with the moderators, male journalists and TOLOnews employees also wore face masks in the offices on Sunday, an AFP correspondent reported. Meanwhile, other station employees left their faces uncovered. By order of the authorities, the television stations have already stopped showing films and series in which women play a role.
After taking power in Kabul in mid-August, the radical Islamist Taliban promised a more moderate government than during their reign between 1996 and 2001. However, many women’s freedoms have been curtailed in recent months, for example in education and in the labor market. A few Afghan women had demonstrated against the restrictions, but the Taliban came at them hard.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
