Violence continues against Afghan journalists

Zakia Zaki, the owner of Peace Radio, was killed in her home on Tuesday, marking the second such killing in a week, AFP reported today.

Although no one has taken responsibility for the attack, violence against journalists has raised concerns among media rights groups. Zaki, an attendee at the 2003 Afghan post-Taliban constitutional convention, was critical of powerful warlords.

On May 31, Shakiba Sanga Amaj, a television presenter, was killed due to what investigators have labeled a domestic dispute over a marriage refusal. “Even if a family feud appears to be behind this cowardly killing, the authorities should not overlook the profession and renown of the young presenter,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement Tuesday.

Since 2001, violence against journalists has persisted, leaving many groups such as Reporters Without Borders (RSB), fearful of the negative influence the attacks have on advancing the media in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Afghanistan ranks 130 out of 168 on a Reporters Without Borders media press freedom index.

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To access Reporters Without Border’s 2006 report on Afghanistan, click here.