KABUL (SW) – The fraternity has expressed concerns about the continued misuse and exploitation of journalists’ credentials.
A number of journalists at a news conference in Kabul on Wednesday claimed that media outlets had made large sums of money by abusing journalists’ credentials, but that the money had not been distributed to vulnerable journalists in poor economic conditions.
Mobin Movahed, a journalist, said a list has been circulating on social media in recent days that shows Hojjatullah Mujaddidi, president of the Free Afghanistan Journalists Association, introducing people with no journalistic experience to a foreign institution for evacuation abroad, which is is against the law.
“The institutions that support journalists use my name and yours and embezzle large sums of money,” he added. “But most of them have fled abroad with their families and other people while we are still in Afghanistan, we are working in bad conditions.”
Meanwhile, Hujatullah Mujadidi, vice president of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA), called the letter a forgery, saying: “The conspiracy against the Association of Journalists is the only institution that works to protect freedom of expression and journalists. We are looking for the one who launched it. “I am sure that if an investigation is carried out, it will be proven that such a thing did not happen.”
On the other hand, a number of other journalists claimed that there has been corruption in the process of evacuating journalists abroad, and that institutions have supported other people from Afghanistan using the identities of real journalists.
“Our expectation from institutions is they set up commissions because the right is not given to the deserving,” said Maryam Hotak, another journalist. “Instead of real reporters, others have been relocated abroad.”
Journalists are urging media supporters to stop abusing the journalist’s name. They also urge international organizations not to support dubious media outlets in Afghanistan.
The process of evacuating vulnerable people abroad began after the Islamic Emirate took control of the country.
ENDS
