Herat Journalists Association, in conjunction with the provincial culture and information department, has established the Monitoring and Supporting Media & Journalists Committee, which aims to prevent unwarranted arrests of journalists and media workers in the province.

Herat’s department of information and culture has emphasized that no security department is allowed to arbitrarily detain a journalist or a media worker, and that all cases relating to journalists violating the law will be investigated jointly by the new committee and the provincial culture and information department.

“Our overall goals are based on three principles: first, to regulate the broadcasting of audio and video media, and second, to fully support and advocate for media rights; thirdly, the Violation Committee is obliged to investigate any violation that the media commits,” said Wali Shah Bahra, Head of Media Monitoring and Support Committee in Herat.

Also on the committee are members of the local media, intelligence departments, information and culture department, and officials from the department of vice and virtue.

Naeem-ul-Haq Haqqani, Herat’s director of information and culture, said: “Instead of being questioned by a government security department, the case will be directly investigated by this committee and the result will be shared to the information and culture department.”

In the meantime, a number of journalists are optimistic about the establishment of this committee and called on the government to facilitate the process of accessing information and to formulate an outline on how journalists need to work within the framework of this committee.

“In the current situation, having such a committee that supports the media and journalists can be very effective,” said Marjan Wafa, a journalist.