Mujahid: Media outlets working freely in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has rejected the Afghanistan Journalists Centre’s (AFJC) annual report on the situation of journalists and media in Afghanistan.

There was no pressure on news organisations and journalists in the country and they were functioning freely, IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid insisted.

He rejected the AFJC report, which said cases of violations of media rights had significantly declined in 2023, compared to 2022, but there had been no change in terms of quality and structure.

According to the report, journalists and media in Afghanistan faced severe restrictions and violations of their fundamental and legal rights throughout 2023, impeding their freedom and ability to work.

However, in an interview with the National Radio and Television, Mujahid rejected the report and call it as a claim.

He said: "We do not confirm this claim, because some incidents happened last year, sometimes there were riots, sometimes journalists were detained due to legal or criminal cases …”

He added there was no pressure on news organisations, as the whole world could see that the media was freely functioning in Afghanistan.

Some media outlets, which had committed serious violations of relevant rules or took orders from certain sides, had acted against the national interest and were therefore prevented, he concluded.

kk/mud