‘Last year was the deadliest for journalists’

KABUL (SW) – With the March 17 being declared as National Day of Journalists, the fraternity believes last year was the deadliest for its members in Afghanistan.

Humayoun Nazari, head of the Committee to Protect Afghan Journalists in the western part of the country, called last year as a bloody year for journalists and said that the targeted killings of journalists, the government’s failure to prosecute perpetrators of violence against journalists, extremism and restrictions on accessing information have been among major challenges.

According to Nazari, in addition to the deaths of nine members of the country’s media community this year, 90 media workers, especially women journalists, have resigned as journalists in the western part of the country alone due to security threats, political pressures and poor financial conditions.

Faisal Karimi, a university professor and journalist in Herat, described last year as a “very difficult year” for journalists, saying that the string of assassinations, the rise of religious extremist groups and government restrictions on journalism were severe.

Karimi considered this year to be a crucial for the media and freedom of expression, and called on the government to put the preservation of freedom of expression and media law as a red line in peace talks.

ENDS

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