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IEA rejects RSF’s report Afghanistan is among most dangerous countries for journalists
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has rejected a report by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) mentioning Afghanistan is among the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists.
According to the report, IEA has been persecuting independent media since retaking power in August 2021, and it jailed 21 journalists in 2023 and is currently holding three.
Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, however, says that the situation has improved and only one journalist is in prison. According to officials in the committee, lack of access to information is still one of the serious problems of journalists.
“We have problems in the area of lack of a mass media law. We have problem in access to information because there has been a big change and naturally it has its own problems. There are problems regarding arrests without coordination with the Ministry of Information and Culture, but in the last two years, we had only one martyr and 13 wounded,” said Abdul Qadim Wiar, head of the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee.
Rejecting the Reporters Without Borders report, the Islamic Emirate said that there is currently no threat to journalists.
“Unfortunately, the institutions that have been established in the name of defending journalists and others in the West, they have their own agenda to spread propaganda against countries, and they address and analyze issues from the same point of view. No journalist is threatened in Afghanistan. No journalist has been harmed in Afghanistan in the past year. Of course, there have been detention and legal actions that too were limited and have been resolved, and the majority of them were not related to media work, but had a legal or criminal nature,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman of IEA.
“Unfortunately, these institutions are silent about Israel which in one month killed and directly targeted 20 to 30 journalists,” he said.
Eleven people have been killed in a shooting at a shrine in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province, local sources said on Friday.
The incident took place at 9 pm on Thursday at the shrine of Sayed Padsha Jan in Shahr-e-Kuhna of Nahrin district.
A local resident said the dead were residents of Nahrin district and wanted to spend the night at the shrine.
Asadullah Mustafa Hashemi, the provincial information and culture director, confirmed the incident but did not provide details on how it happened or the number of casualties.
Provincial police spokesman said they had not received any information about the incident yet.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Serdar Muhammetdurdiyev on Thursday met with Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan announced.
During the meeting, the sides discussed priority vectors of strategic interstate cooperation built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis, as well as exchanged views on the implementation of previously reached agreements.
It was noted that personal contacts between the leaders of the two countries play a key role in intensifying the interstate dialogue, which give a strong impulse to further development and expansion of Turkmen-Chinese ties.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan considers multilateral international platforms for maintaining stability in Afghanistan as an important factor in promoting sustainable improvement of socio-economic state of the neighboring country. The sides exchanged views on the preparations to the 5th meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring States to be held in Turkmenistan.
The interlocutors reaffirmed that Turkmenistan and China will continue to provide all-round support for the economic restoration of Afghanistan.
The U.S. House Of Representatives has passed a legislation on evacuation of Afghans who assisted Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The passage of the CARE Authorization Act of 2024 further underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan,” Congresswoman Dina Titus said in a statement.
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies. By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
In 2022 the State Department established a specialized office called the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to streamline and coordinate the ongoing relocation and resettlement process for eligible Afghans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the United States.
The CARE Authorization Act of 2024 will formally authorize the CARE office at the State Department for three years and grant important authorities to advance its mission. These include an extension of authorities to enter into personal services contracts as well as measures to streamline the transfer of funds to and from other agencies involved in the Afghan relocation mission.
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