UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called for measures to improve the safety of journalists following the killing of journalist and women’s rights activist Malala Maiwand and her driver Mohammad Tahir in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on December 10.
Ms. Maiwand, a reporter for radio and television broadcaster Enikas, and her driver were killed by unidentified gunmen in Jalalabad.
Maiwand was a women’s rights activist who had spoken publicly about the challenges facing female journalists in Afghanistan. She was a member of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IWART).
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Reuters cited Afghan interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian as saying that — over the past 15 years — the Taliban has been behind the majority of attacks on journalists.
CNN says Maiwand is not the first of her family to be targeted. Five years ago, her mother, also an activist, was killed by unknown gunmen.
CNN notes that Maiwand was a reporter at Enikas Radio and TV in Nangarhar and this is an incident that underscores an increasing trend of violence against journalists in the country.
Enikas has reportedly been targeted before, with its owner, Engineer Zalmay, kidnapped for ransom in 2018.
The Afghan government, German embassy, EU delegation and British ambassador have condemned growing attacks on journalists and activists.
