Foreign envoys meet Afghan journalists over targeted killings

Ambassadors and diplomats of the United States, Canada and European Union nations met with representatives of the Afghan media on Wednesday to discuss the current safety and security threats the sector faces. 

The group of foreign diplomats emphasized the importance of preserving press freedom and protecting media workers. 

Among the diplomats present were the Charge d’ Affairs of the US to Kabul, and the ambassadors of Canada, UK, France, Sweden, Denmark, and the European Union to Afghanistan’s ambassador. 

The aim of the meeting was to discuss security strategies to help journalists “who are at risk right now.”

Following the meeting, US Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson stated in a series of tweets: “In light of the recent targeted attacks in Helmand, Ghazni, Jalalabad and Kabul that have silenced respected voices in the Afghan media, I met today with representatives of Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), NAI, Ariana News, Tolo News, and the Killid Group as well as Kabul’s diplomatic corps.”

Wilson added that the US and partner missions wanted to hear directly from Afghanistan’s “extraordinary press and NGO leaders” about the threats their colleagues are facing.

“But more than this, we wanted to discuss strategies for security and for assisting reporters who are at risk right now,” he noted.

“I have said it before: we must preserve Press Freedom in Afghanistan as one of the most important gains of the past 19 years,” Wilson said.

“Media workers here demonstrate remarkable courage in ensuring transparency and accountability. We hear you and we support you,” the US diplomat pointed out.

The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) said it was extremely concerned about the number of targeted killings of Afghan journalists in recent months. 

Najib Sharifi, from the AJSC stated: “We are concerned about the announcement that Afghanistan is among the five most dangerous countries to be a journalist; but this is not new; in recent years Afghanistan has been one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.”