Faryab, Afghanistan: Qutbuddin Kohi, Head of Faryab Journalists Union and a journalist of Pajhwok Afghan News was attacked by unknown armed men today evening in Maimana city of Faryab province. According to local authorities, and the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) provincial coordinator, Mr. Kohi was injured in this attack and he is in satisfactory health condition now.
AJSC condemns the attack on Mr. Kohi in the strongest terms and calls on the Afghan government to undertake a thorough investigation so the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice. In addition, the investigation results should be shared with the media and the public.
At the same time, AJSC urges the responsible government agencies to take serious measures in order to ensure the safety of journalists and media workers across Afghanistan. Also, AJSC encourages all journalists and media workers to seriously consider the safety precautions while commuting.
Over the past months, the targeted killings of journalists and media workers have increased at an unprecedented rate creating severe concerns for the media community. Only since December 2020, 5 journalists and media workers were killed in targeted assassinations. “Direct attacks and serial killings of journalists has created widespread fear between media community and it has increased self-censorship among journalists and media outlets,” said Dr. Najib Sharifi, AJSC Director.
