The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has announced the arrest of two individuals accused of translating and dubbing foreign television series containing what the group described as “Western content.”
A ministry spokesperson said the detainees were involved in activities that promoted Western culture and ideas. Saif al-Khyber al-Salam, spokesperson for the ministry, stated on Saturday that the individuals had also been in contact with foreign media outlets.
The Taliban released a video of one of the detainees, who claimed that a team of 30 people, comprising both men and women, was involved in the dubbing and translation of the series. In the video, the individual expressed remorse for his actions. It remains unclear under what circumstances the confession was recorded.
The ministry did not provide the exact date of the arrests. However, on Friday the ministry’s spokesperson said officials had also detained several production heads and shut down their offices.
In recent days, Taliban enforcers have reportedly detained hundreds of women across various districts in Kabul.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed broad restrictions on media and freedom of expression, including bans on foreign television programmes and music broadcast via visual media.
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Taliban intelligence services maintain strict control over media content, often using threats and intimidation to influence or censor productions.
International press freedom and human rights organisations have condemned these actions as violations of fundamental rights and part of a broader effort to limit public access to information.
