Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund has appointed Mawlawi Ehsanullah Hassan as the new director of the state-run Bakhtar News Agency.
According to the Taliban, Hassan officially assumed his new position on Sunday after being appointed by decree.
He replaces Hedayatullah Hedayat, who previously headed the agency. Before taking over Bakhtar News Agency, Hassan served as chief of staff to the Taliban’s Minister of Information and Culture.
The Taliban did not release photographs from the appointment ceremony. Instead, only images from Hassan’s office were distributed to the media.
The appointment comes as the Taliban continue to enforce restrictions introduced under their Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which bans the publication of images of living beings in many official settings. As a result, numerous government institutions have reduced or stopped publishing photographs of officials.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed broad restrictions on media organizations and access to information across Afghanistan.
The group has also replaced many experienced civil servants and media officials with individuals affiliated with the Taliban, including religious figures appointed to senior administrative positions.
