DAY 153 | Afghanistan: Chess Banned by Taliban Regime

After outlawing music, the Taliban decide to ban chess

The Taliban government has prohibited the playing of chess, now considered a game of chance. This ban falls under the "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law, enacted last year.

Days after detaining about fifteen people for playing music, the Taliban are continuing their policy of repression. This past Sunday, May 11th, the Afghan government expanded the list of banned activities by adding the game of chess.

According to Atal Mashwani, spokesperson for the Directorate of Sports, "chess is considered a way to gamble money," a practice forbidden by the "Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law, enacted last year.

According to the spokesperson, the game of chess raises "religious issues," which justifies its suspension in Afghanistan until these questions are resolved. No details were provided regarding the penalties for non-compliance with this ban.

A café owner in Kabul lamented this measure: "Many Muslim countries have international-level players who participate in global competitions." He recalled that many young people came to play every day in his establishment, without ever betting money. "Chess enthusiasts will likely be distressed by this ban," he added.

Radical Islam

Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have progressively implemented their strict interpretation of Islam, banning various activities and sports. Last year, they notably banned martial arts like MMA.

The government had then judged that this discipline was too "violent" and "incompatible with Sharia law." For four years, women have also been excluded from public spaces. They are prohibited from accessing parks, gyms, beauty salons, and universities.

Crackdown on Music, Destruction of Instruments

The Taliban regime has further tightened its grip on artistic expression in Afghanistan by intensifying its crackdown on music. Following the ban on playing and listening to music, reports have emerged detailing the widespread confiscation and destruction of musical instruments across the country.

According to the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, these actions are in line with their strict interpretation of Islamic law, which they deem music to be a source of "moral corruption." Over the past year alone, the ministry claims to have destroyed over 21,000 musical instruments, including traditional Afghan instruments such as the rubab and tabla drums, as well as Western instruments like guitars and keyboards.

Public Executions, Flogging, Amputations

Four men were publicly executed by the Taliban on Friday, April 11, 2025. Kneeling in the center of a stadium, the condemned men were shot by bursts of Kalashnikov rifles fired by relatives of the victims.

Furthermore, two men were executed by relatives of their victims in front of spectators in Qala-i-Naw, in the center of Afghanistan's Badghis province, as reported by an AFP journalist present in the city.

Afghans had been invited to "attend the event" in official notices widely circulated the day before.

A third condemned man was executed in Zaranj, in the Nimroz province, the Supreme Court stated in a press release published on a social network. According to the same source, a fourth condemned man was publicly executed on Friday 11 in a stadium located in the Farah province. These killings bring the number of public executions to ten since the Taliban's return to power in 2021.

Corporal punishments, mainly flogging and amputations, were commonplace under the Taliban regime and were inflicted to punish crimes such as theft, adultery, non-compliant dress code, and alcohol consumption.

Sources: Valeurs Actuelles, Agencies, Last 3xit, April 13, 2025

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