The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) held an advocacy meeting with Qudratullah Jamal, administrative and finance deputy minister of the information and culture ministry, in Kabul.
In this meeting, AJSC’s programmes manager, Hasib Fararoon, case manager, Jamil Weqar, provincial coordinator, Yousof Zarifi, western zone coordinator, Shamil Ahmad Masha, and a media manager from Herat province had participated.
Media houses’ financial challenges, reduction in the annual cost of frequency licenses in the provinces, especially in Herat, Kandahar, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kabul provinces, and the exemption from paying all or part of the frequency costs of the past years or agreeing on installment payments plan for these expenses were discussed.
The deputy minister said that we can understand that media houses are faced with severe financial challenges, adding that we are in favor of reducing the annual frequency fees. He further added that practical measures will be put in place to reduce the cost of annual frequency licenses’ fees of visual and audio media outlets.
AJSC has been consistently working to address challenges facing the media and facilitate a safe environment for journalists.
