Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has firmly condemned the increase in violence against media personnel in Afghanistan and urged the Afghan authorities to give them better protection.
Mohammad Aliyas Dayee – who worked for the Radio Azadi, the Afghan offshoot of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) – was killed in Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand province.
Aged 32, Dayee had worked for the US government-funded RFE/RL since 2008. He was the father of a little girl.
“This shocking action must not go unpunished and must not recur,” said Reza Moïni, the head of RSF’s Iran-Afghanistan desk. “A fully transparent investigation is needed to identify and punish those responsible for this targeted bombing. And it is not just the Afghan state, police and security services that must do everything possible to protect journalists and media. The international community must also take all necessary measures to protect journalists who are brave enough to work for international and local media.”
RSF also condemned the government’s inaction and the international community’s indifference, which in its view have contributed to the increase in the climate of terror in Afghanistan – terror targeting civil society activists, political actors and the military as well as journalists.
RSF has registered at least 20 threats against journalists and media since the start of the year.
Afghanistan is ranked 122nd out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
