The Afghanistan Journalists Center has demanded law enforcement in Afghanistan pursue cases of murder and violence against journalists more rigorously, calling the culture of crime against members of the media one of "immunity" and the handling of such cases "negligent."
"Several years have past and investigations weren't conducted into the murders of journalists and this is really troubling," the head of the Afghanistan Journalists Center said on Tuesday. "We can't tolerate further negligence in the prosecution of those who are involved in acts of violence against journalists...the culture of immunity should end now."
The murder of Ajmal Naqshbandi, an Afghan freelance journalist, in 2007 grabbed headlines after it came to light that he had been beheaded by Taliban insurgents.
Nai, an NGO supporting open media in Afghanistan, reported this year that violence against journalists had increased from previous years.
The media advocacy group said the Afghan government hasn't focused on the issue enough and the Presidential candidates should include the safety of journalists as one of their platform priorities.
"Cases of violence against the journalists haven't been investigated seriously, we request that the Presidential candidates include the safety and demands of the journalists among their top working priorities so that the journalist community can vote for the best candidate for them," Chairman of Nai Sidiqullah Tawhid said.
Although many cases go unsolved, most violence against journalists has been documented as being perpetrated by anti-government militants. However, intimidation and threats against journalists by powerful figures involved in the government has also been observed.
Nai has advocated for greater protections for journalists against violence in order to prevent the culture breeding self-censorship amongst the media community.