Afghanistan: journalist attacked by Taliban forces
NUJ condemns targeting of media workers amid growing number of assaults.
The NUJ has joined calls by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urging the Taliban to cease its continued attacks against journalists.
On June 3, journalist Reza Shahir was brutally beaten after militants discovered information about his previous detention by the Taliban. Media reports on his mobile phone were interpreted as his collusion with foreign governments, and Shahir was subsequently left unconscious.
Attacks against the freelance reporter form part of several against journalists under Taliban rule. The IFJ has reported 12 deaths in the period May 2021-April 2022 with approximately 1000 journalists forced to flee since the Taliban gained control in August last year.
The NUJ has condemned the treatment of journalists in the country, including the detention of Mirza Hassani and Roman Karimi in May.
Reports of journalists Firoz Ghafori, Mosamem and Olugh Beig Ghafori detained by authorities, and charged with criminal insult for their reporting, highlight the challenging environments media workers face in Afghanistan.
The IFJ said:
“The Taliban must immediately halt their increasing attacks and arbitrary detentions of journalists and media workers in Afghanistan. The IFJ calls for an immediate investigation into the beating of journalist Reza Shahir and the withdrawal of all charges against journalists Firoz Ghafori, Mosamem and Olugh Beig Ghafori.”