Taliban Forced Women Reporters To Wear Veil

In accordance with Taliban order, women presenters and reporters on Afghan television channels covered their faces on Sunday.

Women in hijabs presented and reported news bulletins and other programme on TOLOnews, Ariana Television, Shamshad TV, and 1TV.

TOLOnews anchor Sonia Niazi told the AFP news agency, “We protested and were against wearing a mask.”

However, she said that the channel was under immense pressure. The female presenters relocated to other jobs or fired if they did not comply.

“We are in tremendous pain today,” added Khpolwak Sapai, the channel’s deputy director, in a Facebook post.

According to local media, the Taliban-led Information and Culture Ministry issued the order on Thursday. The Vice and Virtue Ministry took over on Sunday, and implemented the order. The Vice and Virtue Ministry is in charge of executing Taliban-defined Islamic legislation in the country.

“This is not our word, it is an order of God. Covering the face is a part of the Hijab. If the face is not covered, we cannot say it is not the absolute observation of Hijab. It is not a good observation of Hijab. As it is supposed to be for women,” a spokesman for the ministry, Akif Mahajar, told TOLOnews.

Read: Taliban aiming to exclude women, girls from public life

After gaining control last year, the Taliban went on to aggressively restrict women’s lives. They demanded all women wear head-to-toe clothes in public, leaving only their eyes visible. Taliban ordered women to leave their houses only if absolutely necessary. Male relatives to face penalties for women’s dress code violations, beginning with the summons and progressing to jail time.

If such draconian measures were not enough, Taliban prohibited young girls from attending school after the sixth grade.

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