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KABUL: A large number of female journalists in the rural parts of the country forced to quit their jobs as threats against media workers and activists have been intensified all over the country, human rights watchdogs said on Monday.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said that the government failed to provide satisfied details on the investigation of targeted-killing of string of high profile activists and journalists in the country.
The attacks on media family put negative impact on access to the information, the statement said, adding that the ongoing challenges put psychological pressure on the journalists.
Over hundreds of journalists in a meeting with the head of the commission, Shaharzad Akbar, the statement said, shared their concerns on threats they facing in Afghanistan.
The commission reported that media’s access to information has been restricted “even in the nearby districts of the capitals in the provinces.” “In some of the provinces they even can’t walk freely.”
In many cases, the journalists are being treated with negligence in the government organizations when they refer for resolving their problems.
The statement said that if the government was unable to protect the journalists, they would be forces to escape the country.
The commission called on the international community to put pressure on the Afghan war parties to agree on a ceasefire and put an end to the targeted-killings.
“The government should provide security for the journalists and probe the issues of murdering, threatening and misbehaving against journalists, bring the perpetrators to justice,” the statement added.
The top human right watchdog organization cited the remarks after Afghanistan has recently seen a sharp rise in insecurity. In less than past two months, five high-profile journalists were killed in Afghanistan.
Yama Siawash, an anchor at the TOLO News, was killed alongside his two colleagues in a magnetic bomb blast in PD 9th of Kabul.
A week after his assassination, Mala Maiwand, who was working at a local radio channel, Iniqas, was killed by a number of unknown gunmen in eastern Nangarhar province.
Her murdering was followed by the assassination of Ilyas Dayee, who was killed in a sticky mine explosion in southern Helmand province.
Head of the journalists union in the central province of Ghazni, Rahmatullah Nikzad was shot dead by a number of unidentified armed men in Ghazni.
