The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists for press freedom, has urged U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad to make the safety of journalists a priority in his ongoing U.S.-Taliban talks.
In a letter to the U.S. special representative, IPI said that media organizations in Afghanistan are caught between the Taliban, whose members rampantly target journalists, and the national government, which encourages media to report about the attacks carried out by the Taliban.
In June this year, the Taliban issued a threat to the Afghan media ordering them to stop carrying anti-Jihad or anti-Taliban reports or else be targeted. All newspapers, radio and television networks were ordered to stop disseminating such news within a week.
At least four journalists have been killed in Afghanistan this year and 13 died last year during attacks in the capital Kabul and elsewhere in the country.
Urging the special representative to prioritize journalist safety in talks with the Taliban, the letter noted that “peace cannot be established without a free and independent media that can function devoid of intimidation and threat to the lives of journalists”.