Freedom of the press in Afghanistan needs a miracle
It is difficult to see that life in Afghanistan can ever get back to what it was. But maybe a miracle is happening? says Afghan star journalist Wahida Faizi, who visited NJ and the Nobel Peace Center.
Faizi was a celebrity and award-winning journalist in his home country, and had to flee in a hurry when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year. She was known as a fearless critic of the Taliban, and worked as a coordinator in the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, which has held security courses for female journalists, and was an adviser to the police and military in Afghanistan on freedom of speech and protection of journalists.
Wahida Faizi and her husband now live in Copenhagen.
– But I still fear that what I say may backfire on my family who are still in Kabul. They can be punished, she says.
Nobel peace talks
Last week, she was a guest on Nobel Peace Talks: “The truth as an offer: Throttling on journalism in Afghanistan”, which the Norwegian Journalists’ Association, the Nobel Peace Center and OsloMet arranged in collaboration. Here she was in conversation with Elisabeth Eide, professor of journalism at OsloMet.
Afghanistan was ranked 122nd out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index last year. In May comes this year’s index and it has become ends in the country with the Taliban in government offices.
Journalists have been beaten, arrested and threatened, Reporters Without Borders and other independent sources report. Several have been called by the security services with threats to have their tongues torn out if they wrote something that the Taliban do not like.
Taliban as bad
“The Taliban say they have changed, but that is not true,” Faizi said.
– Freedom of speech in Afghanistan is not completely dead, but the one that died in the vast majority of Afghan media. It lives to some extent on social media, but the Taliban regime is tough; They are quick to contact editors if they think they have reported something that is not inside, says Faizi.
Since the Taliban took power, global media such as publishers and working journalists have fallen dramatically. An estimated 70 percent of the media has shut down since the Taliban took control, and that fewer than 100 of the former 700 female journalists in Kabul are still working.
– What do the journalists who remained say?
– What The vast majority of journalists I am in contact with want to travel, but can not. It is important that it is journalists again in the country to report, but the journalists work within a very strange framework. Most of what is coming is silenced by the Taliban.
Half salary and harassment
– What problems do female journalists have in Afghanistan?
– It’s enough that you’re a woman. They face resistance both at their own workplace and at work. It has been like this for a long time before the Taliban came to power. Female journalists get half the salary of their male colleagues, they often have problems with people talking and they get comments left behind and become true.
Fiazi himself has had to use pseudonyms for several years, early in his career. She did not get written under her own name. It is clear that it does something with self-esteem, she says.
– Must talk to them
– Norwegian authorities fly the Taliban to Oslo for talks last autumn. What do you think about that?
– Now we have no choice but to talk to them. That does not mean we recognize them. But we journalists must work with the Taliban, hoping to change the situation.
In connection with the Norwegian Journalists’ Team’s 75th anniversary this autumn, we launched a solidarity action in support of our colleagues in Afghanistan. As anniversary gifts, we wanted money for the campaign. Norwegian media organizations lined up and editorial clubs and individual journalists around the country joined the krone roll. In total, we collected close to 640,000 Norwegian kroner.
Solidarity action
The money is channeled through IMS (International Media Support) with headquarters in Copenhagen which has been represented in Afghanistan since 2001, and AJSC (Security Committee of Afghan Journalists). Local knowledge and experience are essential to help become real and effective.
– I thank the Norwegian Journalists’ Team for the help. Know that it makes a difference. It is difficult to see that life in Afghanistan can ever get back to what it was. But maybe a miracle is happening? says Wahida Faizi.