UN slams Taliban’s threat against media

UNITED NATIONS (Agencies): The head of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan has denounced the Taliban for publicly threatening to turn media outlets in the war-torn country into military targets, stressing freedom of the press is critical and civilians should never be deliberately targeted with violence.

Noting that “words must never be met with violence”, Tadamichi Yamamoto, Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, called for the threat to be rescinded, adding, “the only acceptable challenge to words is to advance a better argument”.

Yamamoto underlined that “international humanitarian law – which applies to all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan, including the Taliban – prohibits attacks against civilians at any time and in any place”.

And affirming that media workers are also civilians, he highlighted the importance of protecting their “fundamental rights to operate in an environment free from any threat, intimidation or undue pressure by any outside entity, including governments”.

The UNAMA’s chief’s statement, in response to the public threats by Taliban to turn media outlets into military targets, highlighted two fundamental principles: that freedom of the press is critical, and that civilians should never be deliberately targeted with violence.

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