Several organizations supporting media in Afghanistan said on Tuesday that the media is facing numerous challenges and called on the Islamic Emirate and the UN to support Afghan journalists and media outlets.
The National House of Afghanistan’s Journalists said in the last seven months 186 media outlets became inactive in the country. Sayed Yasin Matin, head of the group, said the media outlets are closed due to economic problems and because many professional journalists have left the country.
The Afghanistan Federation of Journalists and Media officials at a press conference in Kabul said they have submitted a proposal to the Islamic Emirate to exempt the outlets which face economic problems from taxes, electricity bills and license renewal.
“We have suggested that they should help the media outlets until they stand on their own feet, no matter if it takes one year or two,” said Hafizullah Barakzai, an official of the federation.
In the meantime, three other media-supporting organizations in a joint statement urged the UN to pay special attention to protecting journalists in Afghanistan. The Human Rights Watch and Media Organization, Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, and International Media Support urged the UN Security Council to take action to lower violence against reporters.
They also urged the Islamic Emirate to provide security for journalists in the country. “Based on the law, security of reporters and media is a duty of the government. The Islamic Emirate has said the media law remains valid and it should act accordingly,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, a number of reporters said they face problems in obtaining information from officials. “Unfortunately, they do not respond to our messages. If they answer our calls, they do not give us the information we need for our reports,” Hadya Zyaye, a reporter said.
Previously, Reporters Without Borders in a report said that following the political changes in the country, 40 percent of media outlets became inactive and 60 percent of reporters lost their jobs.
Meanwhile, facing uncertainty, the Afghan media community continues to face overwhelming challenges, a media watchdog said.
The Afghanistan’s National Journalists’ Union held a gathering un Kabul to share its findings from a survey carried out to assess the status of freedom of expression in the country.
The survey–which interviewed 500 media workers, 25 percent of whom were women–indicated that the freedom of expression has diminished in the country.
“The interference by the (Ministry) of information and culture is a big challenge in the provinces. Nearly 30 percent (of interviewers) said the withholding of interviews by the Islamic Emirate is a serious problem. Over 50 percent said that the people are afraid of the situation and are not willing to give interviews,” said Masror Lutfi, head of the union.
Farkhunda is one of the female journalists who has worked for five years in media.
She said that the media environment for women employees has become untenable.
“When female journalists go to a site to cover the event and take information, they are denied by the ministries and others,” she said.
“The Islamic Emirate should be serious in providing information. They (Islamic Emirate officials) don’t provide details on due time,” said Khan Aqa, a journalist.
After the fall of the former government, access to information has been restricted.
“We have said it repeatedly via media that lack of law brings a lot of problems. One of them is double standard toward media organizations,” Lutfi said. The Islamic Emirate said that the amendment of the access to information law is under assessment. —Tolonews
