November 05, 2024 18:04 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy booked for threatening cop probing into mining case | Supreme Court upholds validity of Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Education Act | Not all private properties are community resources that govt can take over: Supreme Court | Pakistan's Lahore has become world's most polluted city with an AQI of 1900 on Sunday | Indian Army 'successfully completes' patrolling to a key point in Ladakh's Depsang region
US should protect Afghan journalists as Taliban take power in Afghanistan: CPJ
CPJ
Image: Pixabay

US should protect Afghan journalists as Taliban take power in Afghanistan: CPJ

| @indiablooms | 17 Aug 2021, 03:55 pm

New York: The United States must do more to ensure the safety of Afghan journalists as the county falls under the control of the Taliban, including facilitating safe passage out of the country and providing emergency visas, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

CPJ said it is deeply concerned for the safety of hundreds of local journalists and media workers who could be targeted by the emerging Taliban regime.

“The United States has a special responsibility to Afghan journalists who created a thriving and vibrant information space and covered events in their country for international media,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “The Biden administration can and should do all within its power to protect press freedom and stand up for the rights of the vulnerable Afghan reporters, photographers, and media workers.”

CPJ has registered and vetted the cases of nearly 300 journalists who are attempting to reach safety, and there are hundreds more whose cases are under review.

Because of the deteriorating security situation at the airport, only a handful have been able to board a flight to the U.S. or a third country where their visa requests can begin being processed.

The vast majority of threatened journalists remain in hiding.

Afghan journalists working with The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal have been unable to board a flight out of the country, the Post reported today.

In a joint statement sent to President Biden, the news outlets called on the U.S. to do more to guarantee safe passage out of the country for journalists and media workers who have supported their news operations.

“The international community’s understanding of what is happening in Afghanistan will depend on the survival of what was once a thriving independent press, even if much of the reporting takes place from exile,” Simon continued. “The local knowledge of Afghan journalists cannot be replaced.”

CPJ has long advocated globally for emergency visas for journalists at risk precisely to avoid temporary or improvised responses when new threats emerge.

To date, CPJ has registered and vetted 45 high priority cases of Afghan journalists in which the threat from the Taliban is clear and imminent.

Many are female journalists whose record of reporting on women’s rights has exacerbated the risk. CPJ has also registered and vetted 127 other cases of Afghan media members who face significant risk, along with 119 journalists affiliated with U.S. news organizations.

CPJ’s list of cases does not take into account family members who would also be eligible for relocation. Over the last 24 hours, CPJ has received an additional 475 email requests for assistance, which are undergoing review.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia 22 Mar 2023, 02:56 pm
Related Videos