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RSF asks ICC to probe killings of Afghan journalists
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has formally asked the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate murders of journalists and media workers in Afghanistan since March 2020.
In this time, 11 media workers, including journalists, have been killed in targeted attacks.
RSF has asked Bensouda to investigate these murders – which the organization said Wednesday could be regarded as war crimes – under article 15 of the ICC’s Rome statute.
The latest media victims were three women working for Enekaas TV in the eastern city of Jalalabad, who were gunned down while on their way home on 2 March.
Before that, Voice of Ghor radio station director Besmellah Adel Imaq was shot dead as he was returning home in Firoz Koh, the capital of the central province of Ghor, on 1 January.
Imaq was the fifth media worker to be killed in the space of two months.
The others were Mohammad Aliyas Dayee of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Pashto-language service, who was murdered in Lashkargah on 12 November; Malalai Maiwand, a TV presenter and representative of the Centre for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists (CPAWJ), and her driver Taher Khan, who were murdered in Jalalabad on 10 December; and Rahmatollah Nekzad, a reporter for international media, who was gunned down in Ghazni on 21 December.
All of these journalists and media workers were targeted because of their work amid an armed conflict that has seen an increase in violence against journalists and civil society in general since early 2020, RSF said in a statement.
“RSF has every reason to believe that armed groups, especially the Taliban or Taliban affiliates, are responsible for this wave of killings,” the organization stated.
“RSF has asked the ICC’s chief prosecutor to include these murders in the crimes committed in Afghanistan since 2003 that she was authorised to investigate by the ICC’s Appeals Chamber in March 2020.
“With a view to prosecuting those responsible, RSF has asked her to determine whether they should be treated as war crimes or as another category of crimes defined by the ICC’s Rome Statute, such as crimes against humanity,” the organization stated.
At least 100 journalists, including 15 foreign journalists, have been killed in connection with their work in the past 20 years in Afghanistan, while more than 60 media outlets have been destroyed or attacked and hundreds of threats have been made against journalists and media.
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WFP air services in Afghanistan may be suspended due to funding crisis
According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan has announced the possible suspension of its air services in the country due to a severe shortage of funding.
WFP is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan and the air services have played a vital role in transporting humanitarian aid, especially to areas difficult to reach by land.
In a message posted on X, the WFP explained that in the past, when roads were blocked, air services were the only way to deliver aid to remote areas of Afghanistan. This aid included food, medicine, and other essential items that are essential for the survival of millions of people in need in Afghanistan.
According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.
In addition, the WFP stated that humanitarian needs in Afghanistan continue to increase and millions of people across the country are dependent on humanitarian assistance.
WFP stated that if air services are stopped, it will become very difficult, if not impossible, to deliver vital aid to areas that are not accessible by road.
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Afghanistan and Iran swap prisoners at Milak border crossing
At the same time, two Iranians serving sentences in Afghan prisons were repatriated to Iran.
Afghanistan and Iran exchanged prisoners at the Milak border crossing in south-eastern Iran on Sunday, officials confirmed.
According to IRNA, almost 200 Afghan prisoners held in Iranian prisons in Tehran, Sistan and Baluchestan and Isfahan were handed over to Afghan authorities at the Milak border in Sistan and Baluchestan.
At the same time, two Iranians serving sentences in Afghan prisons were repatriated to Iran.
Iran’s Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs, Askar Jalalian, said recently that more than 4,500 foreign nationals detained in Iran had been sent to their home countries.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
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