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Media watchdogs call for immediate release of all journalists still in custody

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) this week released nine journalists who had been in custody following a spate of arrests targeting media workers employed by different outlets.

While welcoming the move to release the nine journalists, media watchdogs have called for all journalists still in custody to be released immediately.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), have condemned the IEA’s crackdown on journalists and called for the immediate release of all media workers still in custody.

The IFJ said in a statement on Tuesday that on September 2, Paktia journalist Habibullah Sarab, and Kunar journalist Parviz Sargand were released from IEA custody. Reports indicated they had been arrested for having worked for media outlets operating in exile. 

“The pair had been in detention since August 11. The day before, Zabul journalist and Afghanistan National Journalists Union (ANJU) representative Mehboob Hakimi were also released from prison,” read the statement.

AIJU said that on August 31, four media workers, including TOLONews reporter Attaullah Omar; Killid Radio head Faqir Mohammad Faqirzai and reporter Jan Agha Saleh; and Salam Watandar reporter Hasib Hassas were released after being detained on allegations of working for exiled or foreign news outlets. All of them had been held in custody for a week.

This comes after a dramatic increase in arrests by the IEA of journalists through the month of August.

On August 14, Kandahar-based journalist Waheedur Rahman Afghanmal was detained and questioned about his work, before being released on bail the following day. Freelancer Shamsullah Omari was also detained in a separate incident and released on August 24, AIJU said.

French-Afghan journalist Mortaza Behboudi remains in prison following his arrest in January, shortly after he arrived in Kabul. The IFJ has however been informed that Behboudi will be tried on charges of espionage.

In relation to the nine journalists released this week, the AIJU said: “We welcome the release of all the arrested journalists. We once again ask the officials of the Islamic Emirate to follow up on the cases related to the work of the media through the ‘Commission for Investigation of Complaints and Handling of Media Violations’.”

The IFJ said: “This latest crackdown on Afghan media under the Taliban (IEA) regime has seen the country’s journalists and media workers continue to face increasing incidents of arbitrary arrest, harassment, and attack, despite assurances to the contrary. While the release of nine journalists is a welcome development, the IFJ urges the Taliban (IEA) to immediately free all media workers still in custody and work to protect the safety and security of all journalists in Afghanistan.”

A number of organizations supporting the media and journalists have meanwhile called for the immediate ratification of the media law. According to them, the lack of laws has made dealing with the problems of the media and journalists difficult.

"I hope that according to the promises made regarding the law of public media and the law of access to information, the fate of these two laws will be clarified as soon as possible and will be made available to the media community,” said Masroor Lutfi, a member of (ANJU).

But Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, denies an increase in arrests and violence against journalists in the country. He says a number of journalists were investigated for issues unrelated to journalism but that they have been released. Others still in prison are being investigated.

Mujahid also said a new media law has been drawn up and sent to the IEA’s supreme leader for approval.

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France pledges €3 million to boost nutritional aid for Afghanistan

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France has allocated 3 million euros ($3.3 million) from its Food Assistance Program (FAP), to support the World Food Programme's (WFP) school feeding and nutrition programs in Afghanistan, the UN agency said Thursday.

Over 15,000 Afghan primary school girls and boys will receive a healthy daily school snack, and more than 35,000 will get monthly take-home rations of vegetable oil to improve the nutrition of an entire family.

Additionally, nearly 60,000 young children and more than 10,000 pregnant or breastfeeding mothers will receive specialized nutritious food.

"More than three-quarters of all families in Afghanistan cannot afford a nutritious diet that would keep them from falling into malnutrition," said Salina Grenet-Catalano, director of global affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs .

"France prioritizes the fight against malnutrition as it prepares to host the next Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris in March 2025. We remain committed to standing by the people of Afghanistan, offering support where needed most,” she said.

Due to a funding crisis this year, WFP could not provide two million women and children with food to prevent malnutrition.
Last year, funding shortages forced WFP to withdraw 10 million people from food assistance, leading to increased malnutrition rates and placing entire provinces at risk of falling back into emergency levels of malnutrition.

"This contribution comes at a critical moment for Afghan mothers and children who are hardest hit by the hunger crisis," said Harald Mannhardt, WFP Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan is a global hunger hotspot with more than a quarter of the population going hungry and nine out of ten women-headed families cannot afford enough food."

This latest contribution of 3 million euros (US$3.3 million) from France brings their contribution to 6 million euros (US$6.5 million) in 2024.

Building on the last two years' contributions of almost US$16 million, France remains among the top ten contributors to WFP in Afghanistan.

 

 

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Trump taps loyalists with few qualifications for top jobs

Trump tapped Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

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US President-elect Donald Trump chose loyalists with little experience for several key cabinet positions on Wednesday, stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping - and in some cases testing - America's institutions.

Trump's choice of congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, for US attorney general, America's top law enforcement officer, was a surprising pick.

The former attorney has never worked in the Justice Department, or as a prosecutor, and was investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations, Reuters reported.

His office said in 2023 that he had been told by prosecutors he would not face criminal charges.

Trump tapped Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

The former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Trump-ally has in the past spoken out against military intervention in the civil war in Syria under former President Barack Obama and implied that Russian President Vladimir Putin had valid grounds for invading Ukraine, America's ally.

"I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength," Trump said in a statement.

Gabbard has little direct experience with intelligence work and had not been widely expected to be tapped for the post, which oversees 18 spy agencies, Reuters reported.

She was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 as a major in the Hawaii National Guard and is now a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.

On Tuesday, Trump chose Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran, to be his secretary of defense. Hegseth has opposed women in combat roles and questioned whether the top American general was promoted to his position because of his skin color.

He also lobbied Trump during his 2017-2021 term to pardon servicemembers who allegedly committed war crimes.

Sprinkled in with those personnel choices were more conventional selections. Trump said on Wednesday he would nominate Senator Marco Rubio, who is a hardliner on China, as his new secretary of state.

But on the whole, his selections signal a radical shift in the way the U.S. government conducts its business and in the role America will play in the world over the next four years, Reuters reported.

One common thread for Trump's picks: He chose unfailingly loyal people who are unlikely to push back against his most controversial orders, analysts said.

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Trump’s team drawing up list of Pentagon officers to fire, sources say

Trump has also spoken during the campaign of and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.

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Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon, Reuters reported.

The planning for the firings is at an early stage after Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory and could change as Trump’s administration takes shape, said the sources, who are familiar with the Trump transition and requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans.

One of the sources questioned the feasibility of a mass firing at the Pentagon.

It was also unclear if Trump himself would endorse the plan, although in the past he has railed extensively against defense leaders who have criticized him. Trump has also spoken during the campaign of [USN:L1N3MD1PE TEXT:“firing “woke” generals"] and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The second source said the incoming administration would likely focus on U.S. military officers seen as connected to Mark Milley, Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, read the report.

Milley was quoted in the book “War” by Bob Woodward, which was published last month, calling Trump “fascist to the core” and Trump’s allies have targeted him for perceived disloyalty to the former president.

“Every single person that was elevated and appointed by Milley will be gone,” the second source said.

“There’s a very detailed list of everybody that was affiliated with Milley. And they will all be gone.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff include the highest ranking officers in the U.S. military and comprise the heads of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Space Force.

The disclosure of plans to fire senior leaders of the U.S. armed forces comes a day after Trump [USN:S0N3M808W TEXT:“picked as his defense secretary Pete Hegseth”], a Fox News commentator and veteran who has signaled a willingness to clean house at the Pentagon.

“The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired,” Hegseth said in his 2024 book “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”

It is unclear if Hegseth’s lack of management experience could complicate his Senate confirmation and if a more traditional alternative for the position would carry out such sweeping dismissals.

Hegseth has also taken aim at Milley’s successor, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, asking whether he would have gotten the job if he were not Black, Reuters reported.

“Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt - which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter,” he wrote.

The first source familiar with the transition planning said Brown would be among the many officers to leave.

“The chiefs of the Joint Chiefs and all the vice chiefs will be fired immediately,” the source said, before noting that this was still only early planning.

Some current and former U.S. officials have played down the possibility of such a major shakeup, saying it would be unnecessary and disruptive at a time of global turmoil with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The first source said that it would be difficult bureaucratically to fire and replace a large swath of senior U.S. military officials, suggesting the planning could be bluster and posturing by Trump allies.

But the second source suggested the Trump camp believed the Joint Chiefs of Staff needed to shrink due to perceived bureaucratic over-reach.

Such cuts could be endured in an organization the scale of the U.S. military, the source said.

“These people are not irreplaceable. They are very replaceable. And then the other thing too is there is no shortage of people that will step up,” the source said.

“In World War Two, we were very rapidly appointing people in their 30s or people competent to be generals. And you know what? We won the war.”

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