UN asks Afghanistan to lift election media ban
The United Nations has asked Afghanistan to lift a last-minute ban on media reporting of violence during Thursday’s presidential election, saying the Afghan Constitution guaranteed a free press.
Afghan authorities imposed the ban on Tuesday with two decrees, the first barring journalists from reporting any violence in the country between 6am and 8pm (01.30 to 15.30GMT) on polling day.
The second ordered journalists to stay away from the scenes of any attacks.
The government says the measures are intended to prevent reports of violence from scaring Afghans away from voting. Taliban fighters have vowed to disrupt the election.
The UN said Afghans had a right to information, and restricting the media could undermine confidence in the poll.
“People need access to information, not only on polling day but after polling day.
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“Its unclear to us what if any legal basis there would be for such a directive when Afghanistan’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press. We are making this point to the Afghan authorities,” he said on Wednesday.
Afghan police have taken a more aggressive attitude towards reporters in recent days. Several journalists were beaten by police at the scene of a suicide car bombing on Tuesday and a siege with gunmen on Wednesday.
A cameraman and reporter for private Afghan television station Tolo were detained briefly on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for President Hamid Karzai defended the decrees. Karzai is seeking re-election and is hoping to avoid a second round run-off, but his chances could be hurt if violence dampens turnout in southern areas where he draws support.
“We have taken this decision in the national interest of Afghanistan in order to encourage people and raise their morale to come out and vote,” Siamak Herawi said.
“If something happens, this will prevent them from exaggerating it, so that people will not be frightened to come out and vote,” Herawi said.
The head of the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA) said the decrees would not stop Afghan and foreign journalists from reporting during the election.
“It shows the weakness of the government and we condemn such moves to deprive people from accessing news,” the AIJA’s Rahimullah Samander told Reuters.
Rachel Reid, Afghanistan researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said it was up to Afghans to make their own decisions about security, and that they had a right to know about violent incidents in the country.—Reuters
