NEW DELHI — The Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) on Friday condemned the killing of an Afghan journalist’s relative by Taliban fighters and called upon the international community to make every effort to stop such “barbarity”.
It also hoped that the Taliban will keep its word and protect the freedom of press, not harass journalists, particularly women, and allow the media to do its work freely.
Taliban fighters recently killed a family member of an Afghan journalist, who works for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
“The IWPC strongly condemns the targeted killing of journalists and their relatives in Afghanistan by the Taliban and calls upon the international community to make every effort to stop this barbarity,” it said in a statement.
The journalists’ body said it is “deeply concerned” about the “increasing killing and harassment” of mediapersons in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
“There have been reports of kidnapping, killing and threatening journalists in Afghanistan — Afghan nationals working for foreign media as well as those working for local television, newspapers and radio stations are being targeted,” it said.
There are also reports of the Taliban going house to house to look for journalists and lists being compiled with details about them to hunt them down, the IWPC said.
“Foreign journalists, particularly women, are being intimidated and threatened on roads,” it added.
“This is deeply disturbing and contradictory to the statement made by the Taliban in its first press conference in which it had assured that the media will continue to be free and independent. However, this is not happening,” the IWPC said.
It said ever since the Taliban has come to power in Afghanistan, women journalists have been censored, prohibited from doing their journalistic work or replaced with men in newsrooms.
“We expect the Taliban to keep its word and protect the freedom of press and not harass journalists, particularly women, and allow the media to do its work freely,” the journalists’ body said. — (PTI)