AJSC Warns Soaring Violence Against Journalists

The Afghan Journalists’ Safety Committee (AJSC), an independent watchdog says at least 10 journalists were killed in Afghanistan in the first half of 2017, a 35 percent surge over the past year.

Taliban militants and the Islamic State group were behind most of the “direct and indirect” attacks on media workers in Afghanistan, the Afghan Journalists’ Safety Committee (AJSC) said in a new report.

“In the first six months of 2017, 73 cases of violence against journalists were recorded, including 10 cases of killings, 19 beatings, and 12 injured,” the report said.

The report said the violence included killing, beating, inflicting injury and humiliation, intimidation, and detention of journalists.

“Insurgent groups in provinces threaten journalists to self-censorship by telling them to either broadcast what they want or shut down their stations,” Najib Sharifi, the director of AJSC, told a press conference in Kabul on July 25.

Sharifi, told reporters it documented 73 cases of violence against journalists and the existence challenges caused self-censorship in media outlets.

The violence included killing, beating, injury, humiliation, intimidation and detention of journalists, he added.

“Those killed have either been directly targeted by terrorist groups or lost their lives as a result of terrorist attacks,” noted Sharifi.

Afghan journalists also confirm the occurrence of violence.

One of the Journalists, Muhammad Ali Reza said, “Besides having problems with terrorist groups, we also have security threats from officials and authorities. Journalists do not have any impunity.”

Journalists in Afghanistan work under extremely difficult circumstances and routinely face violence, threats, and intimidation that prevent them from carrying out their work.