KABUL (SW) – On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan declared that the freedom of expression is an non-negotiable principle in the country.
UNAMA organized an event in connection with the day that hosted a number of journalists and media advocates, offering a platform to exchange views on the shrinking and restrictive media space in the country and the way forward.
Mette Knudsen, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General/Political in UNAMA, paid tribute to hard-working journalists for their tenacity and resilience. “Let me assure you that UNAMA & the
UN family in Afghanistan stand firmly in solidarity with your clarion call for safety, professional independence and a free press,” she said.
“The guarantee of freedom of expression is non-negotiable,” she said, adding that that with the rise to power of the Islamic Emirate, the gains of the past decades, which had come with great difficulty, have disappeared.
Addressing the event on behalf of Afghan media community, TOLO news Director Khpalwak Sapai called for support of the UN and wider international community. Otherwise, he warned, Afghan media structure will collapse due to the prevailing restrictive environment and financial crisis.
In a statement read out on the occasion, UNESCO Afghanistan said it is concerned about detention of journalists and increasing restrictions on media freedom, urging all to uphold press freedom and the right of journalists to do their job without fear of arrest or intimidation.
Participants called on the authorities to recognize and respect a free, pluralistic and independent media, and to comply with Afghan obligations under human rights instruments relevant to freedom of opinion and expression.
ENDS
