IFJ Lauds Appeal To US To Grant Humanitarian Aid, Asylum To Afghan Journalist

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2021) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Wednesday lauded a group of US news organizations who sent letters to President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Congressional leaders urging them to provide humanitarian assistance and emergency visas to Afghans who have worked with US media outlets.

The appeal comes amid growing threats to journalists in Afghanistan, and the recent death of Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist for Reuters. Siddiqui was embedded with Afghan special forces and killed in a crossfire while covering a fierce battle with Taliban militants (outlawed in Russia as a terrorist organization) in Kandahar province on July 16.

In the letter, the news consortium stated that many of the Afghans who worked with them face grievous harm and death without the assistance of the US government, as the Taliban may seek reprisal.

According to the UN, about 33 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021.

While the US government has intensified efforts to speed up the visa process for the Afghan journalists who worked for US media, the journalism community expressed deep concern for the well-being of those in media who are not currently covered by this process.

IFJ urged other countries with media in Afghanistan to do the same.

Meanwhile, violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent weeks. The Taliban have intensified their offensive since the foreign forces began to withdraw from the country.