The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) joins the national and international media support and other organizations in commemorating the Word Press Freedom Day.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as the ‘World Press Freedom Day,’ in 1993 to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Although, the country’s media sector has faced serious challenges in various fields of journalistic work in recent years, AJSC findings show that the number of female journalists and media workers saw a 17% increase and the number of male journalists saw a 10% increase in 2023 compared to 2022. AJSC findings further indicate that 21 radio stations, five news agencies and three TV station have begun operation post 2021 developments.
Last year, numerous cases of violence against journalists and media workers were registered and several media outlets’ operations were suspended. Also, journalists and media workers have faced challenges in accessing information and regarding their safety.
AJSC urges the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to put in place necessary measures regarding media and journalists’ safety, and calls on the government to address all journalists and media related cases in accordance with the provisions of the Mass Media Law and through the Commission on Media Violations (CMV).
AJSC further calls on the IEA to put in place support mechanisms for the journalists and media work, and to take necessary measures to facilitate journalists’ better access to information.
AJSC also calls on the Afghan media sectors’ stakeholders to undertake the necessary steps and measures to address media houses financial challenges and improve media and journalists’ capacity in reporting.
AJSC has been continuously working to facilitate a safe environment for journalists and media workers across the country.
