By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KABUL, Afghanistan – Reporters Without Borders sent a delegation to Kabul to gather information regarding press freedom.  On the second to last day of the investigation, Reporters held a news conference where secretary-general Jean Francois Julliard urged the Afghan government to make press freedom a priority.

“The press freedom situation is getting worse in Afghanistan and it is the government’s duty to reverse this disturbing trend,” Julliard said. “The country cannot continue to develop and progress towards democracy without a free and independent press. The president and his government must get fully involved in this issue and must take measures that give journalists more freedom to work. Much needs to be done in Afghanistan but the country will not be able to recover from 30 years of war without free and diverse news media.”

Reporters Without Borders points to the case of Perwiz Kambakhsh, who is serving a 20 year prison sentence for downloading and reading an essay about women’s rights in Islam.

“As long as a citizen can be sentenced to death or to a long jail term just for reading a report on the Internet, we will not be able to say there is free expression in Afghanistan. Perwiz Kambakhsh must be released as soon as possible. He committed no crime and this case, which has been marred by judicial irregularities, is a grave stain on Afghanistan’s image. We told all the officials we met that his conviction must be overturned.”

He continued: “The threats against Afghan journalists and visiting foreign journalists are becoming more and more diverse. As well as the Taliban, who have never ceased to threaten to kill journalists who do not comply with their demands, there are now criminals and mafia groups.”

Moreover, Reporters Without Borders reports that in 2008 alone, two journalists were killed and about 50 were attacked.

They urge the Afghan government to provide security measures for the protection of journalists so that they will continue their work, the authorities to solve and investigate cases more thoroughly and consistently, adoption of a proposed media law, and a law facilitating access to information to the journalists.  It is also urged that media owners should stop meddling with editorial content.

For more information, please see:

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty – Press Freedom Gets Worse in Afghanistan, RFS Says – 15 January 2009

Reporters Without Borders – Reporters Without Borders Gives Kabul News Conference, Urges Government to Make Press Freedom a Priority – 15 January 2009

Reuters – Press Freedom Getting Worse in Afghanistan – 15 January 2009