The Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency blurred the faces of female Dutch ministers in its coverage of cabinet resignations in the Netherlands, continuing its policy of censoring women’s images.
In its report on Sunday, Bakhtar published photos showing only male ministers after Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp and several colleagues from the centre-right New Social Contract party stepped down over failed efforts to impose new sanctions against Israel.
Taliban-controlled outlets have repeatedly censored images of women, both inside Afghanistan and in their reporting on international affairs. Critics say the group’s media policy not only erases women from Afghan public life but also applies the same exclusionary rules abroad.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on media freedom. Women’s visibility on television has been sharply curtailed, with female presenters forced to cover their faces and cultural programming heavily censored.
In many provinces, images of living beings have been banned under a decree issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
