Union of Journalists Explains Taliban Harassment of Media Workers in Afghanistan
Photo: Ali Khara / Reuters
In Afghanistan, working conditions for media workers have worsened – with the Taliban ( Taliban, a terrorist organization banned in Russia ) who came to power in the country, cases of persecution have become more frequent. The threats were reported by the Afghan Union of Journalists, which considered such actions a rejection of the Taliban's promises to the international community, TASS reports.
“Access to information is the right of everyone. The professional duty of a journalist is not a crime, but, unfortunately, the situation for us is only getting worse. Over the past week, at least five incidents of violence against journalists have been reported in several provinces, ”union chairman Masroor Lutfi told a news conference in Kabul. He called on the government to investigate the incidents, following the agreements with the international community.
Akiljan Azzam, the deputy head of the press service of the Afghan Interior Ministry, did not agree with the accusations and told the journalist that the cases of violence were being investigated by the Taliban. “The government takes cases of attacks against journalists seriously. The persons involved in these incidents are identified and punished, ”he said.
From the moment the Taliban came to power, the media trade union in Afghanistan has constantly raised questions about the real state of freedom of speech in the country. According to them, up to 70 percent of media outlets in the country have closed due to economic difficulties. But the Taliban government established its own newspaper and television channel – to transmit messages and decrees of the new government. The last time under the Taliban, in 1996-2001, television was abolished.
On December 13, Ghulam Nabi Mobin, the head of the police press service, was arrested in Afghanistan. Some media outlets noted that a lawsuit was filed against an employee of the security department with charges of raping a minor.
