KABUL
\nWomen television presenters on Afghanistan\u2019s leading news channels on Sunday vowed to speak up for their rights after being forced by Taliban authorities to cover their faces on air.
\nSince seizing power last year, the Taliban have imposed a slew of restrictions on civil society, especially on women and girls to comply with the group\u2019s austere brand of Islam.
\nThis month Afghanistan\u2019s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a dictat for women to cover up fully in public, including their faces, ideally with the traditional burqa.
\nThe Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice ordered women television presenters to follow suit.
\nAfter defying the order a day earlier, presenters on Sunday wore full hijabs and veils that left only their eyes on view across leading channels, including TOLOnews Ariana Television, Shamshad TV, and 1TV.
\nMale journalists at TV channel wear face masks in solidarity with women colleagues
\n\u201cToday, they have imposed a mask on us, but we will continue our struggle using our voice,\u201d Sonia Niazi, a presenter for TOLOnews, told AFP after presenting a bulletin. \u201cI will never ever cry because of this order, but I will be the voice for other Afghan girls.\u201d
\nThe dictat was an attempt to push women journalists to quit their jobs, Niazi said.
\n\u201cIt is like stripping off your identity,\u201d she added.
\n\u201cDespite this we want to raise our voice, We will come to work until the Islamic Emirate removes us from public space or forces us to sit at home.\u201d
\nLima Spesaly, a presenter with news network 1TV, said it was difficult working under the Taliban government but she was ready for a fight. \u201cWe will continue our struggle until our last breath,\u201d Spesaly told French news agency, minutes before going on air.
\nTOLOnews director Khpolwak Sapai said the channel had been compelled to make its women presenters follow the order. \u201cI was called on the telephone yesterday and was told in strict words to do it. So, it is not by choice but by force,\u201d Sapai said.
\nWomen presenters were previously only required to wear a headscarf.
\nMale journalists and employees at TOLOnews on Sunday wore face masks at the channel\u2019s offices in Kabul in solidarity with the women presenters.
\nOther female employees continued to work with their faces visible.
\nMinistry spokesman Mohammad Akif Sadeq Mohajir said authorities appreciated that broadcasters had observed the dress code. \u201cWe are happy with the media channels that they implemented this responsibility in a good manner,\u201d he said.
\nMohajir said authorities were not against women presenters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KABUL Women television presenters on Afghanistan\u2019s leading news channels on Sunday vowed to speak up for their rights after being forced by Taliban authorities to cover their faces on air. Since seizing power last year, the Taliban have imposed a slew of restrictions on civil society, especially on women and girls to comply with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3294,7621,7622,7623],"class_list":{"0":"post-262254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-afghan-women","9":"tag-full-hijab","10":"tag-niqab","11":"tag-tv-presenters"},"yoast_head":"\n