Afghan Press

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) extends its full support to the campaign of protests organised by the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA) to demand justice for two journalists murdered within a day of each other last week.

In the first of these, Jawed Ahmad, also known as Jo Jo, was driving in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on March 10 when he was shot dead by unknown men in a vehicle that had pulled up alongside his car. Ahmad had spent 11 months in United States military detention in the Bagram airbase near Kabul and was released only six months ago.

The second involved the shooting of Munir Ahmad Amil, a journalist in the news division of Emroz TV, at an army checkpoint in Kabul on March 11.

The AIJA, and IFJ affiliate, is also concerned for the safety of another journalist, Ghulam Mohammad Masoomi, based in Kandahar . A journalist with Tolo TV and contributor to numerous print publications, Masoomi has reportedly received death threats from unknown sources.

“The IFJ fully supports the AIJA and the broader media community in the effort to ensure that media personnel in Afghanistan enjoy a safe and secure working environment,” said Jacqueline Park, IFJ Director for the Asia-Pacific.

“We believe this is especially important this year since Afghanistan will shortly enter a cycle of elections in which the future of its democratic transition will be determined.”

On 2 March, Mullah Haji Mohammad Akbar, famously known as ‘The Father of Saffron in Afghanistan’ was awarded the prestigious Wazir Akbar Khan Medal by President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace for his promotion of saffron in the western Herat province.
In 1998, Mullah Akbar became one of the first farmers to be involved in [...]

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply worried over a Kabul Appeal Court ’s verdict upholding a 20-year prison sentence on Ghows Zelmay, a former journalist and spokesman for Afghanistan ’s Attorney-General, on charges of wrongly interpreting religious scripture.
Zelmay was arrested in November 2007, shortly after he published a translation of the Holy Qur’an [...]

The Intern ational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is relieved to learn that the United States Department of Defence has finally released journalist Jawed Ahmad, who had been held without charge at Bagram air base in Afghanistan since last October.
Ahmad was on assignment for Canadian Television (CTV) when he was arrested by US military forces at [...]

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is deeply disturbed over a report that the chief editor of a radio station in the northern Afghan province of Faryab has been threatened with possible closure of her station by the provincial governor.
Rona Shirzai, the owner and chief editor of Radio Quyash, based in the provincial capital of [...]

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands an explanation from the United States Government for the continued detention without charge of Afghan journalist Jawed Ahmad.
According to the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), an IFJ associate, Ahmad was on assignment for Canadian Television (CTV) when he was arrested by US military forces at Kandahar airport on [...]

UNDP Afghanistan Dari and Pashto websites launched by Ms. Fadzai Gwaradzimba, UNDP Chief, South and West Asia Division, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) today 28 May 2008. Following UNDP audiences’ demand which includes governmental partners, media, academia, university students and Afghan public in getting more information on UNDP activities in local languages, [...]

The Intern ational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is increasingly concerned about the dangers for journalists and media workers in Afghanistan , after another journalist was injured in a suicide bomb blast on April 29.
Eighteen people were reported killed in the blast in Khogyani district, Nangarhar province, close to the border with Pakistan , according to [...]

The Intern ational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed at a report of a grenade attack on the home of a female radio journalist in Herat province, Afghanistan . It is the second attack on radio producer Khadija Ahadi’s home in two weeks.
The Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), an IFJ associate, reports that unidentified gunmen [...]

The Intern ational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its associate, the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), in expressing growing concern about the Government of Afghanistan bowing to pressure from hardliners seeking to obstruct Afghan journalists’ hard-won right to freedom of expression and an independent media.
AIJA has called for public discussion about freedom of expression and [...]