The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the May 15 attack on Nilofer Habibi, a woman presenter and reporter for the Herat station of Afghanistan’s official broadcast agency, Radio and Television Afghanistan (RTA).
According to reports from IFJ partner the Afghanistan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA), Habibi sustained minor injuries when her attackers forced her into a vehicle and demanded that she stop working for the Herat TV station.
The director of the Herat TV station, Mr Hisam-ud-din Shams, reportedly told the AIJA that Habibi and two other women journalists have received several death threats for their professional work.
The other two women journalists have since left the television station, Shams said.
The IFJ is alarmed at reports of another incident involving Herat TV where the governor of Herat province allegedly summoned a senior reporter to his office on May 11 and assaulted him physically.
Mr Farhad Joya was acting director of Herat TV when the assault reportedly occurred.
Kambakhsh case hearing adjourned
An appeals court in Kabul on May 18, adjourned the hearing of the case against Sayed Parvez Kambakhsh, 24, a journalist facing the death sentence for an alleged crime of “blasphemy”, until Sunday May 25.
The IFJ learns that the court heard the arguments of the prosecution before adjourning the hearing because a defence lawyer was not present.
In his statement before the court, Kambakhsh said that he had been forced by Afghan intelligence and security agencies to make a confession of his alleged crime and that he did not have a defence lawyer when a court in the northern province of Balkh sentenced him to death in January.
He also claimed that a rumour that he had converted religion was being intentionally spread with a view to discrediting his defence.
“We urge the Afghan authorities to ensure that Kambakhsh is provided competent legal counsel at the appeals stage,” said Jacqueline Park, IFJ Asia-Pacific Director.
“We hope to see the strong free speech guarantees of the Afghan constitution given effect through a constructive and enlightened ruling from the Kabul appeals court.
“These attacks on journalists, whether through physical assaults or via the courts, serve only to stifle free speech in Afghanistan.”
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries