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Targeted Killings of Afghan Journalists Threaten Free Media in Afghanistan

Roshan Noorzai

   WASHINGTON - A recent string of targeted killings in Afghanistan has
   created an atmosphere of fear among Afghan journalists who say they
   cannot carry out their duties under growing threats.

   The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, a local media advocacy group,
   has warned that the country might lose one of its main achievements in
   the past two decades, freedom of expression and press, if the attacks
   on journalists continue.

   At least five journalists have been killed in Afghanistan in the past
   two months as part of a wave of targeted attacks against women working
   outside their homes, rights activists, tribal and community leaders,
   religious figures and journalists.

   "If this trend continues, we will lose one of the most noteworthy
   achievements of this country, which is press freedom and freedom of
   expression," Najib Sharifi, president of the Afghan Journalists Safety
   Committee, told VOA.

   Journalists in many parts of Afghanistan say they no longer feel safe
   amid the increased killings of fellow journalists.

   "We are in constant fear of being targeted," said Sami Serat, a
   journalist working with a local radio station in Helmand province. "We
   do not feel safe in the city, in our offices or even at home."

   Serat added that the recent targeted killings of journalists in the
   country have "negatively affected" news coverage of his home province
   of Helmand, which has seen intensified clashes between government
   forces and Taliban militants in recent months.

   "We rarely go to the scenes for news coverage. It has become nearly
   impossible for us to go there because of the fear of being targeted and
   the ongoing fighting in the city [Lashkargah] and provincial
   districts," he told VOA.

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