Afghan male TV presenters wear masks in protest against Taliban

Seconds before he presents a news bulletin, Afghan television anchor Nisar Nabil puts on a black mask as a symbolic protest against the Taliban authorities for ordering women presenters to cover their faces on air.

"We are taking a stand in support of our women colleagues," said Nabil, who works at TOLOnews, Afghanistan's main private television channel.

"During our live news broadcasts or political shows, we are wearing masks as a protest," he told AFP after presenting a bulletin at the channel's studio in Kabul.

Since seizing power last year, the Taliban have imposed a slew of restrictions on women and girls to comply with the group's austere brand of Islam.

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