نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan Media Watch Report Owner: Nai Monthly Report #161 October 2018 Tahir Paiman Media Watch reporter 0704464404 نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan The Media current issues Watch of Media Watch Report newsletter covers the following topics: • Cameraperson of RTA in Qandahar was killed during attack on police chief of Qandahar province; • A localcameraperson was killed as a result of bomb explosion in Rustaq district of Takhar province; • Ayna TV’s journalist was beaten up by NDS in Faryab province; • Cameraperson of Turkish Ikhlas News Agency was beaten up by unknown persons in Kabul; • Manager of Bakhtar News Agency was humiliated by a security guard of provincial official in Balkh; • Embedded mine exploded next to Haqiqat Radio’s manager’s house in Nangarhar; • Journalists complain regarding inaccessibility to information in Nimruz province; • Proposal of illegal financing to media in Nimruz province by a number of neighboring countries; • Journalists’ complaints regarding lack of access to information during parliamentary election’s days; • Article analysis of Access to Information Law. نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan PREFACE During the last month media community in Afghanistan was witnessing an- other loss. In an incident where Qandahar’s police chief, General Abdul Ra- ziq, was assassinated, one of the camerapersons of RTA (Governmental TV Channel) in Qandahar province was martyred. Muhammad Salim Rahim, journalist and cameraperson of RTA in Qandahar was killed while covering the election related security meeting at Headquar- ter office in Qandahar province. Mr. Rahim was 64 years old and he used to work in RTA as cameraperson around 40 years and worked in RTA Qandahar in the last 17 years. In another incident in Takhar province a local freelance cameraperson was killed. Muhammad Asif Hakimi, a local freelance cameraperson was mar- tyred in an election campaign on 13st October 2018 as a result of a bomb blast in Rustaq district of Takhar province. He used to work in this field since 2003 and he used to cover different political and cultural occasions. Moreover, a side of two above mentioned incidents, a number of journalists and media worker have been humiliated and beaten up in the last month. Ayub Amini, Ayna TV’s journalist in Faryab province had been beaten up badly on 27thSeptember 2018 by NDS during the evening. Mr. Amini was humiliated and beaten up by NDS while he was leaving his office for home. Moreover, Syed Sami-Ul-Haq Patman, cameraperson of Turkish Ikhlas News Agency was beaten up by unknown armed men in Kabul. He went to inter- view Omid Maisam, deputy spokesperson of executive chief in district 18th, while returning on the way to office he was attacked and beaten up. In continuity with threats against journalists, a blast occurred nearby Haq- iqat Radio’s manager’s home in Nangarhar. The blast occurred as the result of embedded that damaged his home. Fortunately it didn’t cause any casualties. In a different occasion Nai’s media watch reviewed media’s situation in Nim- ruz province and shared its findings with media through a press conference. Based on Nai’s finding lack of access to information and financial problems are the two major barriers on the way of local media’s activities in the prov- ince. Lack of access to information is considered as the major barrier and journal- ists in Nimruz province along with media officials and media managers in the province have said to Nai that local government in the province aren’t - 3 - نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan accountable to media. In most of the cases spokespersons of administrations aren’t available. The last but not the least, Nai announced its findings of observations of last parliamentary elections on 20, 21st October 2018. According to the findings journalists were facing lack of access to information as well as faced with threats from election stockholders. - 4 - نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan Cameraperson of RTA in Qandahar was martyred Muhammad Salim Rahim, cameraperson of RTA Qandahar was killed while he wanted to cover security re- lated meeting at Qandahar headquarter. Mr. Rahim was 64 years old and worked as cameraperson since 1978 and worked with RTA Qandahar in the last 17 years. Noorullah Noori, manager of RTA Qandahar through an interview with Nai’s Media Watch said; Muhammad Salim Rahim experienced journalistic activities almost 40 years. He was a professional person in media scope in Afghanistan and his death is a big loss for Afghanistan’s media. Mr. Noori said: “Mr. Salim was a disciplined person in RTA team that can’t be compared with others. All his - 5 - نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan lifetime was properly spent in making services, he was a professional cameraperson and from the starting day of his media activity up to the time when he was martyred, he work with RTA up to the time when he was dead. He used to film the serial by the name of (…); I and all other staff of RTA have good memories with him. 4 bullets which were shot caused him to death.” Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, by issuance of press release on 18th October asked Afghanistan’s government to pay close attention toward journalists’ lives. Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, Managing Director of Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, considers Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom a big loss to journalistic community of Afghanistan and says that journalists aren’t safe and secure even in the secured areas of one of the main provinces like Qandahar and violence have raised even it causes journalists to death. Mr. Khalvatgar said: “An armed attack took place on 18th October 2018 over a number of Qandahar’s Military Officials as result of the attack Mr. Salim Rahim was killed. Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom is the biggest loss to jour- nalistic community of Afghanistan as he had at least 4 decade experience regarding media activities and film- ing. Mr. Rahim’s death determines that journalists aren’t safe even in the secured provinces such as Qandahar, they are tortured physically and mentally even they are killed.” Mr. Khalvatgar said; there are many speculations about Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom, some are in this belief that Mr. Rahim is killed and his camera was damaged because he was an eye witness and captured the scene. Mr. Khalvatgar conveyed condolences to the family of media workers and said: “We ask government and the team who investigate in this regard to clarify that what has really happened as there are so many speculations about Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom. A number of people believe that Mr. Rahim was killed as he was an eye witness and had captured the scene, that’s why he was killed and his camera was broken into pieces.” He had 6 children including 3 daughters and 3 sons; his elder child is 16 years old and he is school student yet. Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom as result of a terroristic attack isn’t the first painful incident in Afghanistan but this is the fifth terroristic incident during the current year that journalists are the victims. And during the last month a journalist and cameraperson of ToloNews were martyred as a result of a terroristic attack which took place in Kabul and a couple of months before a number of journalists and camerapersons had been targeted by a suicide bomber in a very VIP area of Kabul city that called Shash Darak. The statistics recorded at Nai determine that within Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom 18 more journalists and media workers have been killed during the current year. Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan asks the government to provide security to journalists and as well emphasizes to investigate Mr. Rahim’s martyrdom and share its result with media and Afghanistan’s people. - 6 - نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan A local freelance cameraperson was martyred in a bomb explo- sion in Rustaq district of Takhar Muhammad Asif Hakimi, a local freelance cameraperson was martyred on 13th October 2018 as result of bomb explosion during election campaign in Rustaq district of Takhar. He was busy in filming and photography in the last 15 years and he was covering every political and cultural programs, his martyrdom is a big loss to Takhar’s residents. Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan by issuing a statement on 13thOctober considered Mr. Hakimi’s martyrdom a big loss to Takhar’s people. The statement stated that his death is a huge loss and Afghanistan’s government should assure journalistic community of Afghanistan and provide safety and security to all citizens in specific journalists and media staff during the election. Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, Managing Director of Nai said that Mr. Hakimi’s profession was in the field of me- dia and has been killed in one of the election campaigns in Rustaq district of Takhar that reveals how vulner- able it is to do media activities. And as well Managing Director of Nai says; Afghanistan’s government should provide required assurance to journalistic community of Afghanistan, otherwise we would witness journalists’ assassination on the daily - 7 - نی حمایت کنندۀ رسانههای آزاد افغانستان Nai supporting open Media in Afghanistan basis. Mr. Khalvatgar said: “We witnessed a cameraperson’s assassination whose nature of work was media and was killed in an election campaign in Takhar that determines how vulnerable is to work in media.