Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have issued a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public under new laws to combat immoral behaviour and promote virtue.
The laws were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, a government spokesman said.
The Taliban set up a ministry for the "propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice" after seizing power in 2021.
The first formal declaration of vice and virtue laws since the Taliban takeover cover aspects of everyday life such as public transportation, music, shaving and celebrations.
They empower the ministry to be at the frontline of cracking down on personal conduct, administering punishments, including warnings or arrests, if they allege Afghans have broken the laws.
Article 13 says it is mandatory for a woman to cover her body at all times in public and that a face covering is essential to avoid temptation and tempting others.
Clothing should not be thin, tight or short.
Muslim women are obliged to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim males and females to avoid being corrupted.
A woman's voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public.
It is also forbidden for women to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.
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Article 17 bans the publication of images of living beings, which threatens an already fragile Afghan media landscape.
Article 19 bans the playing of music, the transportation of solo female travellers, and the mixing of men and women who are not related to each other.
The law also obliges passengers and drivers to perform prayers at designated times.
Last month, a United Nations report said the ministry was contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through its orders and the methods used to enforce them.
It said the ministry’s role was expanding into other areas of public life, including media monitoring and eradicating drug addiction.
Head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan Fiona Frazer said: "Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls."
