Int'l Federation Of Journalists Condemns Assassination Of Reporter In Eastern Afghanistan

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate in Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned the killing of Rahmatullah Nikzad, the reporter who worked for several international media outlets, in the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni and called for investigating the crime

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2020) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate in Afghanistan on Tuesday condemned the killing of Rahmatullah Nikzad, the reporter who worked for several international media outlets, in the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni and called for investigating the crime.

On Monday, Nikzad was shot three times by unknown gunmen when he was on his way to a local mosque. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing of the reporter who worked for Al Jazeera and Associated Press, while the Taliban movement has distanced itself from the attack and also condemned Nikzad's murder.

"The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Afghanistan affiliate the Afghan Independent Journalists' Association (AIJA) condemn the heinous assassination and call for swift action to locate and bring the perpetrators to justice," the IFJ said in a press release.

The AIJA called the killing of Nikzad, who also headed the Ghazni Journalists' Union, a crime against humanity and called on the Afghan security forces to investigate the incident.

In addition, IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger urged Kabul to increase efforts to ensure the safety of reporters and mentioned that at least eight media workers have been killed in the country this year, up from six in 2019.