Afghanistan emerges most dangerous country for scribes

• Afghanistan emerges most dangerous country for scribes: PEC

Geneva: As the year 2021 sets to finish its cycle, Afghanistan emerges

as the most dangerous country for scribes with 12 journo-casualties,

followed by Mexico (10 dead), Pakistan (7), India (6), etc. The south

Asian nation also lost at least 10 media workers to the Covid-19

complications till date, said Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the global

media safety and rights body.

Since the Taliban take over the country in August, it also witnessed

the collapse of over 150 print media outlets  following new

restrictions and many opted for online news services. Thousands of

professional journalists lost their jobs and many left their country

for safer places to practice journalism. Afghan women journalists have

to face the worst situation as they are restricted from various

outdoor activities.

Financial crisis is looming large over the Afghan media as the

newspapers lost readership and commercial advertisement revenues

drastically in the last four months. Almost half of the media outlets

including radio and televisions in Kabul had closed down their

operations leaving thousands of media workers jobless that put them in

acute crisis with no or little hope of revival.

“PEC expresses serious concern over the negative development to Afghan

media. Lately a young reporter (Javid Yousufi) was stabbed in Kabul by

the miscreants. Other localities like Balk, Takhar and Kunduz also

witnessed physical attacks on journalists in the last few days. The

regime in Kabul must protect the journalists as they are doing their

duties,” said Blaise Lempen, secretary-general of PEC.

He also appreciated the management of TOLO news, the country’s first

recognized news channel presenting news in Dari and Pashto languages

since August 2010, for continuing to engage female reporter-news

anchors defying the Taliban restrictions. Speaking to PEC’s south Asia

representative Nava Thakuria, an Afghan lady reporter expressed

optimism that other media outlets would also follow the same principle

of not bowing down to the Taliban regime.