Taleban media have stopped showing images of living beings in some Afghan provinces to comply with morality laws, an official confirmed Tuesday. In August, the country’s Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws regulating aspects of everyday life like public transportation, shaving, the media, and celebrations reflecting authorities’ interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. Article 17 bans the publication of images of living beings, sparking concerns about the consequences for Afghan media and press freedom.

A spokesman for the Vice and Virtue Ministry, Saif ul Islam Khyber, said government media in the provinces of Takhar, Maidan Wardak, and Kandahar have been advised not to air or show images of anything with a soul - meaning people and animals. Khyber told The Associated Press a day earlier that the ministry was responsible for implementing the morality laws. He did not clarify if the rules affected all media, including foreign outlets, or only Afghan channels and websites. Nor did he say how the laws would be enforced or if there was a deadline for compliance. No other Muslim-majority country imposes similar restrictions, including Iran and Saudi Arabia. During their previous rule in the late 1990s, the Taliban banned most television, radio and newspapers altogether. (AP)