Afghan journalist, Mukhtar Wafayee awarded for bravery by NAI

NAI – Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan honored an Afghan journalist, Mukhtar Wafayee from Balkh province with the bravery award for the year 1393.

NAI awarded Mukhtar Wafayee form Balkh province of the 13 provincial journalist who had been victims of violence.

Wafayee who came to Kabul to receive the award said that the situation of journalists in Afghanistan had been worse with the formation of national unity government.

“After the formation of national unity government freedom of speech has been faced with problems and new challenges,” Wafayee said.

Officials in NAI said that awarding the Afghan journalists is one the ways to appease them.

NAI also voiced its concerns over growing violence against journalists in the country and called on the government to bring perpetrators of violence to justice and take measures to increase journalists’ job security.

Earlier, NAI in its recent survey has announced the violence against journalist increased by 60 % in the first 6 months of the national unity government.

Afghanistan remains an insecure country for reporters, where they are subjected to threats from state and non-state actors, besides facing hurdles in access to information. According to Nai report, around 76 cases of violence against journalist were reported in 2013.

The cases were including 3 murders, 34 cases of beating, 6 arrests, 7 cases of injuries and 26 cases of threats and insult. The perpetrators mostly were the police, government officials, militants, ordinary people and private sector.
Reported by Hamid Sidiqi