Taliban Announce Visit of Iranian Delegation To Kabul To Discuss Prisoner Transfer

Sources quoted Mujahid as telling Afghanistan International, "The Taliban has no decision to stop the activities of the media."

Following growing concerns over the implementation of Article 17 of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, officials of organisations supporting journalists and media met with Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in Kabul on Wednesday.

A participant in the meeting told Afghanistan International on Wednesday that media officials had expressed concern over the ban on the publication of images of living beings and photography and called for a review of the decision.

According to sources, Zabihullah Mujahid has assured media officials and journalists that "banning images of living beings will not lead to the cessation of the activity of visual media”.

He did not explain how the ban would not make it virtually impossible for television to operate and that television would not be converted into radio.

The Taliban-controlled government's Media Centre also said in a statement that Mujahid had assured media officials that "the Taliban is committed to freedom of expression and the free operation of the media within the framework of Islam”.

Zabihullah Mujahid also said that the Taliban is aware of the importance of the media in the present era and is fully committed to freedom of expression and media activity within the framework of Islamic principles.

The Taliban have detained several experts critical of the Taliban's policies. The group has often described these criticisms as contrary to national interests.

Mujahid said that the problems of the media in the field of access to information will be addressed.

At the same time, the Afghanistan Journalists Centre announced a new Taliban order banning photography and filming in Nangarhar province and warned of "intensifying repression" and "deteriorating the situation of the media”.

According to Article 17 of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the publication of images of living beings has been prohibited, and the Taliban has intensified its efforts to implement this law.

The ban is gradually being implemented in Afghanistan's provinces, but visual media is still active in Kabul.

Nangarhar is the fifth province where a ban on publication of living beings and video interviews is officially enforced. Previously, the order was fully implemented in Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis and Helmand provinces.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Kabul (UNAMA) too said that public executions are contrary to Afghanistan's international human rights obligations and must be stopped.

The Taliban on Wednesday announced that they had publicly executed a man in the capital of Paktia province on charges of "premeditated murder".

"I condemn today's horrific public execution at a sports stadium in Gardez, Afghanistan, as well as other corporal punishments and executions carried out by the Taliban," Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights for Afghanistan, wrote in a response on social media platform X.

"I call on the Taliban to immediately stop these cruel punishments, which are a clear violation of human rights," he added.

In a note, UNAMA also stressed on the need to stop executions in Afghanistan. "Public executions are contrary to Afghanistan's international human rights obligations and must stop," UNAMA said.

UNAMA has also called for respect for the legal process for fair trials.

On Wednesday, November 13, the Taliban's Supreme Court announced that it had executed a man at the Gardez Stadium, the capital of Paktia province, on charges of premeditated murder in the presence of senior officials of the group.

Sirajuddin Haqqani and Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, the Taliban's interior and refugee ministers, were present at the execution, the court said.

Recently, the Taliban's Supreme Court announced that it has executed five people since the group's return to power.

The Taliban has said that about 30 more death sentences are awaiting final approval by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah.

The participation of this delegation was finalised after the visit of a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India to Kabul.

The purpose of the participation of the Taliban delegation at the 25th meeting of administrative regulations of South Asian countries is to exchange experiences in the development and expansion of the telecommunications and information technology sector.

This meeting was held in New Delhi from Monday, November 11 to Wednesday, November 13, and in addition to the Taliban, representatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and some other countries were also present.

JP Singh, the head of the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran department at the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently visited Kabul and met with senior Taliban officials, including the Taliban's foreign and defence ministers.

The officials of Taliban and India have discussed the expansion of relations in these meetings.

Sources said that the sentence was implemented after efforts by the Taliban's interior minister to prevent the "execution".

The Supreme Court of the Taliban announced on Wednesday that it had executed a man at the Gardez Stadium in the capital of Paktia province, on the charge of intentional murder in the presence of senior officials of the group.

On Tuesday, this court had asked the residents of this province to come to the stadium to watch "execution", but refrain from taking photos and videos.

The Taliban had announced that the sentence was executed after the approval of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of this group, in the presence of high-ranking officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Minister of Interior and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Minister of Refugee Affairs.

The Taliban court said that Mohammad Ayaz Asad, a resident of Paktia province, killed a person named Habibullah with a Kalashnikov.

Some local media reported that the crime was committed during the previous regime.

Sources close to the Taliban’s Interior Minister said that Sirajuddin Haqqani tried to convince the victim's family to forgive the killer, but the family did not accept this request. The Taliban’s Supreme Court has also said that the family of the victim has not forgiven the killer.

The Supreme Court of the Taliban said that Mohammad Ayaz Asad was tried in a military court and his case was thoroughly examined by three military courts, and then this verdict was issued.

In the newsletter, it is emphasised that the victim's family was offered "forgiveness and peace", but the victim's family asked for the execution of the sentence.

The Taliban has not explained the nature of the order.

Recently, the Taliban’s Supreme Court had announced that it has executed five people since the group's return to power.

The Taliban said that about 30 more death sentences are awaiting the final approval of Mullah Hibatullah, the leader of the Taliban.

Sirajuddin Haqqani and Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, the Taliban's interior and refugee ministers, were present at the public execution, the court said.

The court said that Mohammad Ayaz Asad, a resident of Mirzaki district of Paktia province, was given this sentence on charges of murder. He had killed a person named Habibullah with a rifle.

On Tuesday, the Taliban's Supreme Court had asked residents of this province to come to the stadium to watch the execution, but had asked them to refrain from taking photos and videos.

The Taliban announced that the sentence was carried out after the approval of the group's leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Some local media outlets quoted the family as saying that he had committed the crime during the previous regime.

The court said that Asad was tried in a military court and his case was thoroughly examined by three courts, and then, the verdict was issued.

The statement emphasised that the victim's family had been offered "forgiveness and peace," but the victim's family asked for the execution of the sentence.

The Taliban has not commented on how the execution was carried out.

Recently, the Taliban's Supreme Court announced that it has executed five people since the group's return to power.

The Taliban has said that about 30 more death sentences are awaiting final approval by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah.