The Taliban government has tightened its control over Afghanistan’s cultural landscape with a new law governing poetry and literary gatherings.
Signed by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the “Code of Conduct for Poetry and Mushairas” forbids Afghan poets from writing on themes such as love, friendship, or freedom of expression. Instead, poets are instructed to praise Taliban leaders and comply with strict ideological standards.
The Ministry of Justice warned that references to relationships, criticism of the regime, or dissenting views will be punished. The code further prohibits insults to Islamic values, promotion of ethnic divisions, or encouragement of practices deemed immoral.
Event organizers now face strict oversight. All poetry gatherings must be approved in advance by the Ministry of Information and Culture. A review committee made up of Taliban officials and religious scholars will censor material both before and after events.
The regulations have been condemned by Afghan intellectuals, who see them as an effort to suppress creativity. One poet in exile said the Taliban are turning literature into a tool of propaganda, stripping away its human essence.