Location: Afghanistan, Jalalabad
Date: March 3, 2021

PHOTO CREDIT: CNN

Three women media-workers were shot by terror outfits in the city. All three victims worked at Enikass Radio and TV. This is the latest attack, in what has now emerged as a pattern, on Afghan women journalists by fundamentalist groups, and has understandably sent shockwaves around the world.

Mursal Wahidi, Sadia Sadat, and Shahnaz Roafi, who were employed by Enikass Radio and TV, a news and entertainment platform, became victims to targeted killings yesterday. The women worked to translate and dub foreign entertainment programming into local languages.

Two separate attacks took place in the city of Jalalabad, the capital of the Nangarhar province on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. According to news reports, attackers shot Saadat and Raofi as they walked to their homes. Later, at a different location Wahidi was shot as well. The police have taken a suspect into custody for questioning, however, they have not released an official statement regarding the investigation yet. On the other hand, the Islamic State terror group’s regional affiliate, IS Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for the murders. Even though there were no prior threats against the three women according to SITE Intelligence group, terrorists claimed that they were targeted for, "working for one of the media stations loyal to the apostate Afghan government."

This is not the first time that terror outfits in the country have targeted women journalists. December 2020 witnessed the assassination of Malalai Maiwand that had sent similar shockwaves across the region. The past few months have made it abundantly clear that the civil society in Afghanistan is exceedingly vulnerable to armed terror groups operating in the country, attempting to create discord in the peace process.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is horrified at the killings of these young women. The widespread violence against journalists in the country cannot be condemned in serious enough terms. CFWIJ demands that the Afghan authorities ensure the safety of its journalist community and take decisive actions against those responsible for this environment of fear. We also urge the global community to pay attention to the plight of Afghan journalists and take steps to ensure they don't become collateral damage in global political developments.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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