Afghan media worker commits suicide over financial stress

Haroon Niroomand, a media worker from Meshrano Jirga TV of Afghanistan, committed suicide this week due to financial stress, his relatives confirmed on Friday.

His relatives said Niroomand shot himself while his father, Nik Mohammad, said his son had been very worried about money.

“He looked at me, looked at his brother and looked at the house and said ‘how can we fund the expenses of the family?’ Because of this he was desperate.”

Niroomand had studied law and political science and had for the past seven years worked in the media industry – most recently for Meshrano Jirga TV as a technician.

“He was interested in the media and journalism. He wanted to become a famous journalist. When the government changed, he became desperate,” said Abdul Khaliq, the deceased’s brother.

“A big humanitarian catastrophe might happen in the winter, if the government, organizations and international organizations do not act,” said Payanda Mohammad Akbari, a relative of Haroon.

Media support organizations and some journalists meanwhile expressed concerns about the situation in Afghanistan.
“The suicide of Niroomand reveals the deep economic catastrophe that journalists and media in Afghanistan are facing,” said Hajitullah Mujadidi, deputy head of Free Journalists Association.

“Most journalists and media employees had jobs; now they face economic problems and many of them lost their jobs,” said Bais Mohammadi, a journalist.

“Journalists and media employees are jobless now and face an unclear situation. We call on media support organizations to act as soon as possible,” said Navid Kavosh, another journalist.

The cash crisis in the country has hit the media industry extremely hard, resulting in the closure of countless news outlets and across-the-board job losses.