The AP detailed the contents of "Article 13" of the ministry's new laws, which relates to rules for women. The article said women must veil their bodies at all times while in public, including wearing a face covering to avoid tempting men. Their clothing is also not allowed to be too tight or too short. The document further states that women are forbidden from singing or reading aloud in public, and they are not allowed to look at men unless they are related by blood or marriage. Females are also not permitted to travel alone. Other articles in the document reportedly include bans on images of living beings and the playing of music.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have issued a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public under new laws approved by the supreme leader in efforts to combat vice and promote virtue. The laws were issued Wednesday after they were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, a government spokesman said. The Taliban had set up a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice” after seizing power in 2021.

According to the ministry website, the promotion of virtue includes prayer, aligning the character and behavior of Muslims with Islamic law, encouraging women to wear hijab, and inviting people to comply with the five pillars of Islam. It also says the elimination of vice involves prohibiting people from doing things forbidden by Islamic law. Last month, a U.N. report said the ministry was contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through edicts and the methods used to enforce them.