Photography of Living Beings Prohibited

A news photographer who worked in Afghanistan during the first Taliban regime, from 1995 to 2001, states that the new Taliban ban on photographing living beings is now impractical and unenforceable. In October 1996, a boy in Kabul sold a newspaper that had no images. This photographer, who requested anonymity due to his ongoing connections with Afghanistan, recalls that in the 1990s, 'photography was completely banned. The Taliban prohibited it. Even if a press conference was held, they would say you cannot take pictures.' In the early Taliban regime, where penalties for minor offenses could be severe, this Afghan photographer and a few compatriots who collaborated with Western news agencies still regularly took photos of people, albeit always at risk. He says, 'We had small cameras, and when we went to report, we would go to places where the Taliban were not present, take one or two photos, and quickly leave; it was like photo theft.' He recalls that during that time, only a few local photographers 'had to develop their films using chemicals. It was a very complicated job.' However, today, 'everyone has a mobile phone, and everything has become digital.' He also notes that 'the Taliban themselves enjoy Facebook and have WhatsApp. It will be very, very difficult to stop this situation' because the new generation of the Taliban has 'grown up with the internet.' This news photographer was arrested several times for photographing during the first Taliban regime. One of his colleagues spent a night in jail after photographing a man who turned out to be a foreign extremist from an Arab country. In June 2002, Sabira Rahmani, director of the National Gallery of Afghanistan, stood next to one of over 400 paintings destroyed by the Taliban during their first six-year rule. The Afghan photographer remembers that during that time, only a few local photographers 'had to develop their films using chemicals. It was a very complicated job.' But nowadays, 'everyone has a mobile phone, and everything has become digital.' He also points out that 'the Taliban themselves enjoy Facebook and have WhatsApp. It will be very, very difficult to stop this situation' because the new generation of the Taliban has 'grown up with the internet.' This news photographer was arrested several times for photographing during the first Taliban regime. One of his colleagues spent a night in jail after photographing a man who turned out to be a foreign extremist from an Arab country. An Afghan boy stands next to a pile of destroyed video and audio tapes in Kabul in 2001. Apparently, some Taliban leaders in the 1990s ignored the ban on photographing and filming living beings. This news photographer states, 'My photos were often published in a Pakistani newspaper, and the next day that newspaper was sent from Pakistan to the [Pakistani embassy in] Kabul. The Taliban could have contacted me and asked why I took the photo; but that never happened.' However, he adds, 'In practice, photography was not allowed at all.' For ordinary people in Afghanistan, engaging in activities that were considered 'illegal' by the Taliban at that time was common but always accompanied by anxiety and fear. According to this Afghan photographer, during that time, 'people watched television and listened to music tapes, but very secretly. They would sit in the basement or somewhere else and completely close the windows.' This news photographer says, 'My photos were often published in a Pakistani newspaper, and the next day that newspaper was sent from Pakistan to the [Pakistani embassy in] Kabul. The Taliban could have contacted me and asked why I took the photo; but that never happened.' However, he adds, 'In practice, photography was not allowed at all.' For ordinary people in Afghanistan, engaging in activities that were considered 'illegal' by the Taliban at that time was common but always accompanied by anxiety and fear. According to this Afghan photographer, during that time, 'people watched television and listened to music tapes, but very secretly. They would sit in the basement or somewhere else and completely close the windows.' A photo of a painter in Kabul in 2005 with a landscape painting devoid of humans. This news photographer states that the second Taliban government has been relatively milder compared to the first period, but 'slowly, bad smells are coming back.' He refers to the recent closure of television networks in northern Afghanistan due to broadcasting images of humans. He also mentions that the leadership of the Taliban in the group's birthplace, Kandahar, is 'very extremist.' Although some Taliban members have clearly changed after seeing the prosperity in the outside world, something that the first generation of Taliban leadership never experienced. He also states that the leadership of the Taliban in the group's birthplace, Kandahar, is 'very extremist.' Although some Taliban members have clearly changed after seeing the prosperity in the outside world, something that the first generation of Taliban leadership never experienced. A photo from 1994 showing Afghans passing by buildings in Kabul that were destroyed during the country's civil war. This news photographer says, 'In recent years, the Taliban have been in Qatar, Iran, Pakistan, and India and have seen how beautiful the world outside Afghanistan is. When Mullah Omar [the founder of the Taliban] came to power in 1996, they came directly from religious schools to Kabul, but after the civil war, Kabul was completely destroyed; there was no television and nothing else.' He adds that this time 'the Taliban received a beautiful Kabul that had new constructions, beautiful cars, restaurants, and buildings. Everything is much better than what the previous Taliban had seen.' He adds that this time 'the Taliban received a beautiful Kabul that had new constructions, beautiful cars, restaurants, and buildings. Everything is much better than what the previous Taliban had seen.'