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Updated May 31st, 2022 at 09:39 IST

Taliban's media crackdown intensifies as Afghan scribe disappears in Kabul; probe demanded

Amid the reports of the disappearance of reporter Ali Akbar Khairkhah, the Committee to Protect Journalists demanded the Taliban investigate the matter.

Reported by: Ajeet Kumar
Taliban
Image: Twitter/@pressfreedom/AP | Image:self
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Amid the reports of the disappearance of photojournalist and reporter Ali Akbar Khairkhah, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has demanded the Taliban investigate the matter. This development came after a student turned photojournalist and reporter with the local Subhe Kabul newspaper disappeared abruptly on Tuesday, May 24. As per the statement released by CPJ, while covering news from the Kote Sangi area, the Afghan scribe, who was supposed to attend the college, went missing. 

Speaking to CPJ over the phone,  Khairkhah's nephew Mohammad Abbasi said that his uncle had informed the family that he was going to the area to report and would subsequently attend his evening university classes. However, the undergraduate student did not attend the classes, Abbasi said.

Further, he informed that the family tried to find him in the hospitals, police districts, and the Kabul police command but did not get a single clue about his whereabouts. Highlighting the unprofessional behaviour of the Taliban, the nonprofit organisation that promotes press freedom worldwide, said that Marjan Wafa, a reporter with the independent local Radio Killid station, who was attending a press conference of Naimulhaq Haqqani, Taliban’s director of information and culture in western Herat province, had asked her to leave the place without proffering a proper reason.

CPJ asks Taliban to allow journalists to do their jobs without interference

As per the report of CPJ, Wafa, the only female journalist at the press conference, reportedly was complying with the Taliban’s dress code by wearing a face covering that exposed only her eyes. Reacting to the recent incidents, CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, in a statement released on May 27, raised concerns over the disappearance of young journalists. He urged the Taliban to take responsibility for the safety of reporters and to allow all members of the press whether men or women.

"The disappearance of journalist Ali Abar Kharikhah in Kabul and the expulsion of female reporter Marjan Wafa from a press conference in Herat add to growing concerns about the dangers and abuse journalists face in Afghanistan under Taliban rule," said Steven Butler.

It’s beyond time for the Taliban to take responsibility for the safety of reporters and to allow all members of the press—men and women—to report the news without interference, including abolishing the decree that women TV journalists cannot appear with uncovered faces," he added. 

It is to mention that the journalists have been facing immense pressure and life threats since the Taliban ousted the democratically elected government last year. Since the ouster, many journalists were killed, while several others went missing. Recently, the Taliban passed a contentious ruling wherein it ordered female TV anchors to cover their faces on air, resulting in international condemnation. Despite that, it did not respond to the concerns raised by the international human care agencies. 

Image: Twitter/@pressfreedom/AP

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Published May 31st, 2022 at 09:39 IST

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