Location: Afghanistan, Shiberghan
Date: April 21, 2021

As militants continue to target women journalists in the country to terrorize civilians, Neda Sadeq Oghlo emerges as a symbol of resistance. Despite the threats, Neda recently established her own radio channel. According to Neda, this is the time for civil society to actively work towards peace, and the media industry is one of the avenues she believes could make a difference. CFWIJ commends Neda’s courage and commitment to journalism.

Women in Afghanistan continue to demonstrate immense bravery in the face of attacks from the Taliban. In Shiberghan, the capital city of Jawzjan province,  32-year-old journalist Neda Sadeq Oghlo recently launched her own radio channel Ghazal (meaning love poem), in an effort to reinvigorate the Afghan civil society.

"The outcome of the ongoing war and violence in Afghanistan is nothing more than destruction of the country and killing of people. All of our people including me have to play a proactive role in ending the war and bringing about peace by every possible means including media," said Neda. Even though the channel is only two years old, Neda believes in its potential to spread a message of peace amongst the Afghan population who have suffered the senseless violence of the War on Terror. The channel employs 20 workers, eight of whom are women, and broadcasts music, news, and entertainment programs.

Despite having faith in her mission, Neda is not unaware of the dangers she is surrounded by. Women journalists in Afghanistan face very real threats, forcing many of them to quit their jobs. Even though the city of Shiberghan is relatively safe, militants are active in eight out of the ten districts in Jawzjan. Neda expressed her grief regarding the three women journalists murdered by terrorists in Jalalabad and noted that the perpetrators were still at large.

According to Neda, "Attack on female journalists is a matter of concern to me. I have no choice but to continue my job on a mission to expose problems of the Afghan society ... and to work for peace."

"In the country's ongoing efforts towards peace, Afghan women's rights and their achievements should be safeguarded and guaranteed," she added.

It is, however, a matter of immense pride that not just Neda but even the women who work for her channel display similar defiance in the face of cowardly attacks meant to silence them. A journalist at Ghazal, who identified herself as Khalida, said, "On the way to office I am afraid of attacks and kidnapping, but I won't give up my job as a journalist so as not to encourage militants to continue violence as a tool to force newspersons to quit duty."

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with the brave women journalists in Afghanistan. These women are showing the world what resistance looks like in the face of efforts to terrorize a society into compliance. Sadly, their efforts will only bear fruit if they receive the support they require from authorities and political institutions. The Afghan government needs to ensure the safety of women journalists in the country. The first step towards attaining such a goal would be to bring the murderers of the women journalists killed in Jalalabad to justice.

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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