Afghans Beyond Taliban

As a token of paying tribute to late Afghan journalist Ajmal Naqshbandi who was brutally beheaded by Taliban insurgents last year, authorities in Afghanistan capital Kabul have named a street after him. The street named "Ajmal Naqshbandi Avenue" is the first of its kind named after a journalist killed in Afghanistan, Xinhua has reported. While unveiling the plaque of the avenue, President of the...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed shock at the attack on Radio Zafar, an independent radio station close to Kabul, on March 28. The Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), an IFJ associate, received reports from the head of the radio station that four unidentified gunmen illegally entered the station at 1:00 am and tied up two security guards, before fire...

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, plans to start an online TV channel to improve the image of the Western military alliance. NATO TV will be launched April 2 at a summit in Bucharest, Romania, alliance spokesman James Appathurai said Wednesday last. The new TV channel is the result of close cooperation between the NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the Danish Government to improve...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed serious concern over four Afghan journalists being held in detention. Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh, Ghows Zelmay, Jawed Ahmad and Ali Mohaqiq Nasab have been denied human rights including legal representation, the ability to receive visitors and access to time outdoors. Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh, 23, a journalism student and reporter for the

It seems to be becoming a habit of the US — an Afghan journalist working for Canada's CTV television network in Afghanistan has been designated an unlawful enemy combatant. The journalist, Jawed Ahmad, has been held without charge for the past four months at the US military compound in Bagram, 50 km north of Kabul. Major Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, said that an "enemy

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed concern over reports from the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) about a series of attacks against journalists. According to the IFJ-AIJA project office, unidentified gunmen in two cars chased a producer with Afghanistan Radio Television (ART), Ali Asghar Akbarzada, as he drove home from work on December 3. The...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders condemns the action of the Afghan authorities in holding three journalists for two days after they visited an area controlled by the Taliban in the south of the country. The three journalists - Abdul Wadood Hejran of the privately-owned TV station Ariana, Aziz Ahmad Tassal of the journalists' organisation IWPR and BBC stringer Aziz Ahmad Shafe - were arrested...

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the lack of progress in the Afghan official investigation of Zakia Zaki’s murder. The head of radio station Sada-e-Sulh (Peace Radio) was killed exactly five months ago. Police have arrested six suspects but released four. The security forces have not made any serious investigation that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the killers and the family...

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed its concern over the worsening situation for journalists working in Afghanistan. Ariana Radio presenter Mohammad Hanif Elam has received several threats over the past five months as a result of his programme “Emroze Der Tarekh” (Today In History). According to IFJ associate the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA)...

The head of a burgeoning Afghan media empire looked down at his new BlackBerry, vibrating against a table in Washington earlier this week. "Afghan civilians injured in Gereshk suicide bombing," read the e-mail headline. Another day, another suicide bombing in another town. Another too-typical news event for Saad Mohseni's stations to broadcast across a country where prime-time programming is...