Afghanistan’s Taliban government has issued a nationwide ban on smartphones for civil servants, according to a military court order reviewed by Reuters.

The order says smartphone use by “all officials of the military and civilian institutions, including judges” will be prohibited from June 16. It also states that violators’ phones will be smashed and they will face punishment under the law.

The Taliban administration did not respond to a request for comment.

Government employees said the restriction has already disrupted official work, because many administrative tasks were previously carried out using mobile phones, WhatsApp, and email. At least one provincial authority announced it would implement the ban immediately; the governor of Panjshir said it would be applied in all its offices.

Rights activists warned that smartphones are among the few tools Afghans use to access education, document abuses, communicate privately, and reach uncensored information. They said the order may further tighten the Taliban’s control over public life since the group returned to power in August 2021, when it imposed widespread restrictions on women and girls, media, and civil society.