In response to a speech by Lower House MP Abdul Satar Khawasi in which he called for jihad against the media, ANJU held a press conference to denounce his so-called fatwa. The legislator from Parwan province made his irrational and illegal comments during a parliamentary hearing in which the minister of information and culture appeared. Khawasi also called media editors “lowlifes.”
His speech resulted in immediate backlash from media owners and journalists. Abdul Hamid Mubarez,Head of ANJU said during the press conference that ANJU would rigorously defend the media against such comments and actions. He added that Khawasi’s comments were outside the scope of Afghanistan’s laws, adding that the minister of information and culture also continues to violate the law. Complaints against the media should be directed to an appropriate commission.
According to Article 42 and 43 of the Mass Media Law a High Media Council consisting of seven media representatives selected from among the journalism committee should arbitrate media violations. This is the only entity authorized by the law to address violations and complaints; however, three years after the Mass Media Law was ratified by Parliament the government has not formed this council.
Responding to a question at the ANJU press conference, Mir Ali Asghar Akbarzadeh, director of MBN TV network and a member of the Afghanistan National Journalists Union High Council said: “ANJU has never supported televisions programs that are un-Islamic and against the values of Afghanistan, and we have advocated for modification of programming per legal channels.”
