ANJU declaration on occasion of beating up a reporter in Kabul
According to Nusratullah Iqbal, Bukhdy news agency reporter and several eyewitnesses, he was beaten up by Abdul Basir Salangy and his bodyguards.
Afghanistan's National Journalists Union (ANJU) condemns any types of violence against journalists and believes that according to the law no one has the right to beat others, especially if that other person is a journalist.
We ask security establishments of the country to capture the attackers and hand them over to prosecutors as soon as possible.
Since Parwan governor Mr. Salangy has denied Iqbal’s beating, ANJU wants security establishments of the country to make sure that if Mr. Salangy’s claim is true; otherwise he should be accountable.
Meanwhile, given the rising violence against reporters and media activists, ANJU requests the government officials to undertake and enforce a special scheme in order to secure media activities in the country.
ANJU also considers the silence of Information and Culutre Ministry to such incidents, questionable.
ANJU believes that one of the major reasons of rising violence against journalists is the indifference of the Information and Culture Ministry to such cases. We think that if Ministry of Information and Culture pursues legal means in order to prosecute the assailants, the attackers will think twice before conducting any types of violent act.
Afghanistan National Journalists Union
Executive Council
