Date: August 20, 2021

The Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) is deeply concerned about the increasing killing and harassment of media persons in Afghanistan by the Taliban. There have been reports of kidnapping, killing and threatening journalists in Afghanistan — Afghan nationals working for foreign media as well as those working for local television, newspapers and radio stations are being targeted. There are also reports of Taliban going house to house to look for journalists, and lists are being compiled with details about them to hunt them down. Foreign journalists, particularly women, are being intimidated and threatened on roads. This is deeply disturbing and contradictory to the statement made by the Taliban in its first press conference in which it had assured that the media will continue to be free and independent. However, this is not happening. Ever since the Taliban has come to power, women journalists have been censored, prohibited from doing their journalistic work or replaced with men in newsrooms. Not adhering to this prohibition may mean death for them and their loved ones. We expect the Taliban to keep its word and protect the freedom of press and not harass journalists, particularly women, and allow the media to do its work freely. The IWPC strongly condemns the targeted killing of journalists and their relatives in Afghanistan by the Taliban and calls upon the international community to make every effort to stop this barbarity. Vineeta Pandey        Suparna Sharma (President)                (General Secretary)