As the world marks, World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the global community at large has come forward to opine that the Afghan authorities must take urgent steps to provide journalists with greater protection, following a year of spiraling threats, intimidation, harassment, and violent attacks against the country’s media workers.
Afghanistan is ranked 122nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
“At least 11 journalists were killed in 2020 in targeted attacks in Afghanistan, with four more reportedly killed this year. Nearly all the killings, invariably carried out by unidentified gunmen, have gone uninvestigated. Faced with this dire situation and with multiple journalist ‘hit lists’ in open circulation, many journalists are fleeing the country,” said Amnesty International.
While the EU delegation in Afghanistan, in a joint statement, said, “A free, independent and strong media sector are essential parts of an inclusive and representative Afghanistan. The media is integral to building public opinion and support for peace and any future political settlement to the conflict. We recognize that female journalists and media professionals are particularly at risk.” In its latest annual report, published in March, the Centre for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists (CPAWJ) said it had registered more than 100 cases of aggression – including murder, death threats, physical attacks and insults – against women journalists in the past year. “The precarity of Afghan women journalists has increased not only as a result of the physical dangers but also as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown,” CPAWJ director Farida Nekzad said. “At least 20% of them have lost their jobs or have been forced to take unpaid leave by their employers.”
