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Updated November 19th, 2021 at 19:08 IST

Afghanistan: New media watchdog established to protect rights of Afghan journalists

A media watchdog named Nehad Rasana-e-Afghanistan, has been established in Kabul to protect the Afghan media and freedom of speech.

Reported by: Anurag Roushan
Afghanistan
Image: Unsplash/Representative | Image:self
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On Thursday, November 18, a media watchdog named Nehad Rasana-e-Afghanistan, has been established in Kabul to protect the Afghan media and freedom of speech, reported news agency ANI citing TOLO News. The report stated that several journalists and media personnel have raised concerns about the use of journalism for personal gain and interests in the country. "Some organisations promised to work for journalists, but we saw that they didn't deliver on their promises," an Afghan journalist was quoted as saying by TOLO News. The media watchdog has vowed to protect the rights of Afghan media and journalists. In addition, it also committed to talking to the Taliban's interim government with regard to the status of women journalists in the country. 

Abozar Saram, head of the organisation, stated that they were propelled to establish this seeing the persistent challenges faced by the media fraternity in the country. The establishment of this watchdog comes after the withdrawal of media operations by Afghan media organizations. According to Afghanistan's national journalist union, over 70% of media outlets discontinued their operations due to limited access to information and other economic challenges in the country since the Taliban's takeover in August, reported the outlet.  

Media's future is "bleak" under Taliban rule: Afghan journalists

Last month, Afghan journalists lamented the fact that the media's future is "bleak" under Taliban rule.  A graphic designer, video editor, set decorator, three dubbing artists, and a driver working for TOLO TV were murdered earlier by Taliban suicide bombers, reported The Frontier Post. Like the Taliban, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISIS-K, and unknown armed organisations continued to target journalists, reporting on the murders of their colleagues by suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had become regular. However, all of that changed on August 15, when the Taliban seized control of the war-torn country.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Shabir Ahmadi of TOLO TV had said that the entire female staff of the organisation were immediately sent home after the Taliban's takeover. They also ceased broadcasting music and entertainment shows right away. According to The Frontier Post, the migration of journalists has raised major concerns about the future of the media in Afghanistan, where a free press was one of the few real accomplishments made during the 20 years of Western occupation.

Image: Unsplash/Representative

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Published November 19th, 2021 at 19:08 IST

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