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Concerns over new amendments to media law
Lawyers say that the imposition of restrictions in the new amendments to the media law is in contrast with the constitution.
Officials in some media outlets and media supporting organizations do not see the new adjustments to be acceptable and warn that new restrictions on media outlets will weaken the defense of freedom of expression amid the peace talks.
A draft of the new amendment to the Public Media Law has been developed by the Ministry of Information and Culture; a part of it, in the perspective of the media community, is against the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – it imposes new restrictions on the work of the media and the way to freedom of expression.
A number of members of parliament also say that amendments that are against the law will not be passed by the House.
From the point of view of the Afghan media community, the new amendments to the Public Media Law impose double and unnecessary restrictions, including censorship before and after publication, and unnecessarily withholding the truth in sensitive matters.
As the Afghan peace talks are around the corner, the imposition of such restrictions on the media is detrimental to the position of defending the freedom of expression at the negotiating table with the Taliban.
"I think it is just a draft, and there is a possibility for modification," said Mujib Khalwatgar, head of Afghanistan's Free Media Watch.
In response to the concerns, Saber Momand, the spokesman for the Ministry of Information and Culture, said, "The law on public media has not been amended yet. If there is any, it will be discussed with the media community."
Also, the Afghan media community, in a letter, has shared its concerns with the President of Afghanistan.
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Saudi Arabia executed 101 people, including three Afghans this year
The European-Saudi Human Rights Organization in Berlin condemned the executions and said this was three times higher then last year
Saudi Arabia has executed 101 foreign nationals this year, including three Afghan citizens.
AFP reported that 21 Pakistanis, 20 Yemenis, 14 Syrians, 10 Nigerians, nine Egyptians, eight Jordanians, seven Ethiopians, three Sudanese, three Indians, three Afghans and one Sri Lankan, one Eritrean and one Filipino.
The European-Saudi Human Rights Organization in Berlin condemned the executions and said this was three times higher then last year.
The organization’s legal director stated: “This is the largest number of foreign nationals executed in a single year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreign nationals in one year before.”
Amnesty International meanwhile stated that Saudi Arabia was the third highest country for the number of executions in 2023, after China and Iran.
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Canada sent 19 failed asylum seekers back to Afghanistan last year
Canada's border guards sent 19 rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the country last year despite Otawa’s Temporary Suspension of Removals (TSR) that has been in place for Afghan nationals since 1994.
CBC reported that none of the 19 Afghans had their cases rejected on the basis of safety or security risks. The border service did not however reveal further details.
The border agency said a TSR is meant to "halt removals to a country or place when general conditions, such as armed conflict or an environmental disaster, pose a risk to the entire civilian population."
It also said individuals who were found inadmissible "on grounds of criminality, serious criminality, international or human rights violations, organized crime, or security" can be removed despite a TSR, CBC reported.
The CBSA said the 19 who failed their refugee claims left Canada "voluntarily," and that the Afghans were "aware that they benefit from a stay of removal due to the Temporary Suspension of Removal on Afghanistan but requested to have their removal order enforced despite the legislative stay.
"In other words, the individual was advised that they can remain in Canada until the TSR is lifted and they opted to return to Afghanistan."
Canada has welcomed some 54,000 Afghans since August 2021, surpassing a commitment it made to bring in 40,000 in 2021.
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Trump team compiling list of military officers responsible for US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.”
Citing a US official and a person familiar with the plan, NBC stated a commission would then gather information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason.
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