According to Helmand police officials “Boost” local radio reporter, Nour Ahmad Nouri’s dead body has been found in the suburbs of Lashkargah bazar.
Producer of a religious radio program Nouri was also working with the New York Times before. Nouri’s family members believe that his death is somehow related to his
career as journalist. Rafiullah, Nouri’s brother said: “since a few days Nouri was being threatened by unknown people through telephone”. According to Helmand police officials Nouri’s body was placed in bag and left in the suburbs of the city. Meanwhile, they said that there were knife wounds and signs of beating on Nouri’s body while his body was discovered.
Shukrullah Shakeri head of Afghanistan National Journalists’ Union (ANJU) in Helmand says that last mid night Helmand Governor promised Nouri’s family members in Lashkargah Central Hospital that the perpetrators of this murder will be identified and arrested soon.
However, Helmand security officials says that the reasons for Nouri’s murder are not clear yet, and they will continue their investigations in this regard.
During recent years dozens of Afghan reporters have been murdered in different parts of the country, yet no one has been arrested as the perpetrator.
Chief Executive of ANJU Mr. Faheem Dashty said: “government indifference in identifying the murderers of journalists has caused the enemies of freedom of speech to target reporters with more comfort.”
Ministry of Interior Affairs and National Security Directorate are asked by ANJU through a declaration that just once they should do their job regarding the murder of a journalist and do not let the case to be forgotten.
