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2016 Bloodiest Year for Journalists in Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

untitled-article-14703242392016 was the deadliest and bloodiest year for journalists in Afghanistan with a 38 percent increase in violence against journalists compared to the previous years.

Afghanistan Journalist Safety Committee (AJSC) said in a report released on Thursday said that With 13 killed, 2016 was the deadliest year for journalists in the history of Afghanistan’s media.

According to the report, 6 journalists were wounded during the year, while the agency also documented, “30 cases of beating, 35 cases of intimidation, and 17 cases of abuse and mistreatment.”

With 101 cases in total, the year saw a spike of 38 per cent in instances of violence against journalists compared to 2015, with 50 per cent attributed to the government of Afghanistan, while the Taliban accounted for 20 per cent. Most of the remaining cases were attributed to unknown individuals. 

“An increase in the level of threats and attacks against journalist and media by the Taliban has not only transformed the nature of the threat environment, but also forced extensive self-censorship on journalists who work in the insecure areas of the country,” the report said.

“Not only the violence became heavier in terms of qualitative but the statistics also show a 38 percent increase in violence,” said Najib Sharifi, head of AJSC.

AJSC calls on government to take serious measures for reducing violence against journalists in the country.

“We urge the government leaders and the international community to take this issue serious and also take serious measures regarding this issue,” Sharifi added.

The AJSC is demanding that the Afghan government ends the culture of impunity surrounding journalist deaths. It warns that otherwise the country will lose its vibrant local media, one of Afghanistan’s greatest achievements since the 2001 fall of the Taliban.

Journalists’ rights bodies blame the Afghan government and militant groups for committing violence against journalists, urging the government to protect them from further threats.

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Kabul police summons Afghan YouTuber Hamayon

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

Afghanistan’s YouTuber Hamayon Afghan was summoned to the police station for publishing a woman’s interview without her permission, Kabul police said.

The spokesman of Kabul Police Khalid Zadran said Friday on X that Hamayon interviewed an old woman and published the report without her permission.

“After the interview, the interviewee’s family complained to the police and the police summoned Hamayon Afghan to the police station,” said Zadran.

Zadran stated that police are working to solve the problem with the two sides’ agreement as soon as possible.

He urges people to avoid posting rumors on the issue.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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