Journalists in Balkh on Saturday condemned in the strongest terms the assassination of Nemat Rawan, a former TOLOnews anchor who was killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in Kandahar o
Afghan Media Reacts to Killing of Former TOLOnews Anchor
Afghanistan’s journalist community has strongly reacted to the assassination of Nemat Rawan, a former TOLOnews anchor who was killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in Kandahar on Thursday morning.
The Presidential Palace in a statement condemned the killing of Rawan and denounced the continuation of the war as against Islamic principles.
The Palace described the killing as an act of terrorism.
The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee called on the UN and the Afghan government to ensure the security of journalists and media workers.
“AJSC strongly condemns the assassination of a former presenter, Nemat Rawan. Mr. Rawan newly started his work as a public servant with the Ministry of Finance. We call on the government to seriously investigate the case so perpetrators are brought to justice,” the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said.
National Journalist Day Comes Amid Rising Attacks on Media
Afghanistan on Wednesday observed National Journalists Day, as the level of violence against journalists and media workers has dramatically increased.
According to statistics, at least 11 journalists and media workers were killed in Afghanistan during various incidents and over 100 media workers and journalists lost their jobs for various reasons, in the last solar year.
Khairul Banat has worked in a private media outlet for the past three years, covering various topics.
She says that alongside threats and targeted killings, the journalist community in Afghanistan also faces a lack of access to information.
Afghan Journalist Wounded in Armed Attack in Faryab
An Afghan journalist was Qutbuddin Kohi was wounded in an attack by unidentified armed men the city of Maimana in the northern province Faryab on Thursday evening.
Kohi, who works as a journalist with the Pajhwok News Agency, was on the way to his home when he was attacked by unidentified armed men.
“Three bullets were fired. I rushed and as I got back up and I was about to open the car’s door and I saw the gunmen fleeing in a white car,” Kohi explained the incident.
Journalists’ rights organizations said the attacks are concerning and that four journalists and three media workers were killed in targeted attacks in the country in the last five months.
Findings on Journalist Killings Still Not Public
The Afghan government’s investigation into the systematic murders of the Afghan journalists and civil society activists has created some confusion among the people.
A month ago, officials from Afghanistan’s intelligence agency the National Directorate of Security (NDS) announced that the NDS forces had arrested a number of suspects allegedly involved in the killing of Afghan journalists, including the assassination of former TOLOnews’ present Yama Siawash, however, the Afghan security agencies have not disclosed the identity of the attackers and the perpetrators who planned the attacks.
Meanwhile, journalists and civil society activists in Kunduz have said that a rise in threats against the media community has impacted the quality of reporting across the country.