When it comes to freedom of expression there is a difference of cheese and chalk between Afghanistan under Taliban and post-Taliban Afghanistan. Over the last 12 years, dozens of TV channels, hundreds of radio channels, newspapers and magazines have been established which in itself signals the usefulness of freedom of speech in a country. Freedom to speak has caused many developments in the media and has helped in opening the minds of people to allow them be better informed.
After the ouster of Taliban, one of the main objectives of international community in Afghanistan has been boosting free media in Afghanistan. Up to a great extent, it has been successful. Nevertheless, as the international troops are packing for home and most of them will be withdrawn from the country by the end of the next year, concern over maintaining the development in media and security of its personnel is increasing with the passage of each day.
Violence against news reporters has become a very common practice recently. According to calculated figures, since beginning of this year, more than seventy cases of violence against journalists have occurred, indicating significant increase as compared to the same period of the last year. Journalists are killed and tortured just because they find facts and deliver them to the masses of Afghanistan and people around the world.
Journalism has always been a risky profession in countries like Afghanistan. The last 11 years are considered a new era for Afghanistan in regards of freedom of expression; however, several Afghan journalists have been targeted and then forgotten. Journalists are the most vulnerable professionals in Afghanistan who are provided no security against terrorists, warlords, mafia and other criminal groups.
Taliban have been involved in abduction and killing of media personnel but involvement of other criminals cannot be ruled out. Additionally, the attitude of government authorities towards journalist is no less than that of Taliban. Security forces have been involved in torturing people working for media. Also, the murder cases of many journalists have never been followed up. Therefore killers have not been identified even those who were targeted in capital Kabul.
The current standing of media in Afghanistan is considered one of the major achievements of US-backed Karzai administration. Nonetheless, development of media has not been achieved without sacrifices. Over the last 11 years, scores of individuals working for print and broadcasting media have been killed by Taliban and other criminal groups. The same is expected to increase. If such a thing happens, majority of the journalists and other people working for the media would have to escape the country to save their life. Everything will go back to where it had started from in 2001.
The government of Afghanistan is responsible not only to take necessary measures to provide security to journalists but also strictly investigate the cases of the journalists who have been killed or tortured.