Afghanistan Times
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Kabul: The intimidation, threats, and attacks on Afghan journalists are unacceptable, the U.N. said Wednesday, as it expressed concern for the future of the country’s media.
Many journalists lost their jobs since political changes in August 2021, with media outlets closing over a lack of funds or because staff left the country. Women journalists face additional hardships because of work bans and travel restrictions.
The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said that although journalists continue to work, they are forced to navigate “unclear and often arbitrary boundaries of reporting against an ever-present threat of repression and closure.”
Its comments coincide with World Press Freedom Day, which is observed on May 3.
The UN secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, said the day was a moment to show solidarity with the Afghan journalists trying to maintain independent reporting.
“Journalists are being forced to make editorial decisions based on fear, not public interest,” said Otunbayeva. “The persistent intimidation, threats, and attacks on journalists are unacceptable.
We urge the Taliban de facto authorities to guarantee the freedom and independence of the media, and the safety of journalists, women and men alike.”
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Afghanistan 152 out of 180 countries in its latest World Press Freedom Index, released Wednesday. It said the environment for reporters continues to worsen and women journalists have “been literally erased from public life.”
