The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has denounced the murder of three women journalists, Shahnaz Roafi, Sadia Sadat, and Mursal Wahidi, in Jalalabad on 2 March.
I condemn the murders of Shahnaz Roafi, Sadia Sadat, and Mursal Wahidi. These latest killings follow a series of attacks against journalists and media workers in Afghanistan. The perpetrators of these killings must be brought to justice to stop the bloodshed of media workers, whose role in informing society is irreplaceable. I also call for the investigation to establish whether gender played a role in the targeting of the journalists.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
All three victims worked for independent television and radio station Enikass. In two separate incidents, that occurred on the same day, the journalists were shot by unidentified gunmen on their way home from work. The broadcaster they worked for had been receiving threats linked to its news reporting. Another Enikass journalist, Malalai Maiwand, was shot dead along with her driver in December last year.
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.
- See also: UNESCO observatory of killed journalists
