Not sharing info: Balkh journalists to expose departments

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): A number of journalists and their protection bodies on Tuesday warned of exposing government institutions refusing to share information with them in northern Balkh province.

On the other, the Balkh governor said action was being taken against departments not sharing information with media persons in the province.

Journalists and media outlets owners held a joint conference with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) regional office, provincial council and local officials in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital, on Tuesday.

Bashir Ansari, Journalists’ protection committee head in the northern zone, said eight violence cases against journalists had been registered last year in the north.

However, he said violence against journalists dropped in the zone this year. Still journalists faced serious problems, he lamented; identifying the lack of access to information as major issue for journalists in the zone.

He said if any department denied information to media persons, their names would be exposed in press conferences.

Ansari urged the Balkh governor to increase coordination with media directors in future.

Sayed Mohammad Samih, AIHRC regional office head, told the gathering that media outlets had done a great job for development of human rights during the past two decades.

He said despite approval of access to information law journalists continued to face multiple problems in this regard.

He urged government institutions to take measures regarding implementation of gthe access to information law.

pk/ma

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