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Gunmen shot and killed a television journalist and women’s rights activist in Afghanistan in an incident that highlighted the increase in violence against journalists in the country.
Malalai Maiwand, a reporter for Enikas Radio and TV, was killed along with her driver, Mohammad Tahir, when gunmen fired at her vehicle in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern Nangarhar province.
His death brought to 10 the total number of journalists and media workers killed this year in Afghanistan.
“I was on my way to the office when the incident happened,” said Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.
The area has been a hotbed of militant activity, especially with the Islamic State, but no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said that in the past decade and a half, the vast majority of journalists killed had been victims of the Taliban.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the group’s involvement in the incident.
Enikas has been the target of attacks before, and its owner, engineer Zalmay, was kidnapped for ransom in 2018.
Maiwand is also not the first in her family to be attacked. Five years ago, his mother, also an activist, was killed by unknown gunmen.
“With the murder of Malalai, the field of work for women journalists is shrinking and female journalists may not dare to continue their jobs as they did before,” said Nai, an organization that supports the media. in Afghanistan, in a statement.
Last month, Elyas Dayee, a journalist for Radio Azadi, was killed in a bomb blast in the southern Helmand province, and Yama Siawash, a former Tolonews host, was killed in a similar explosion in Kabul.
The Afghan government, the German embassy, the EU delegation and the British ambassador condemned the increasing attacks on journalists and activists.
International donors and governments have also expressed apprehension about a possible reversal of progress on women’s rights over the past two decades if the Taliban return to any kind of power with the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country next year.
The hardline government of the Taliban was marked by oppressive laws for women until the group was overthrown after a US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
