Hamed Obaidi, head of the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization, announced at the Afghanistan Freedom of Expression Symposium in Berlin that media outlets have witnessed over 550 cases of violations and violence and more than 25 restrictive orders from the Taliban group in the past four years Critical journalism has been virtually destroyed and women have been effectively removed from media.
Afghan journalists in neighboring countries like Pakistan, Iran, India and Turkey live in complex and dangerous conditions. Lack of legal documents, security pressures and threats of forced deportation threaten the lives of hundreds of journalists. Many journalists work secretly to avoid arrest and torture.
Afghan exile media face severe financial resource shortages and many have been forced to downsize or halt operations These media outlets are the only source of independent information about Afghanistan and their continued work requires sustained support including digital security enhancement, fact-checking skills improvement, journalists’ mental health care and technical capacity building.
