Independent media under attack in Afghanistan

by Wahidullah Amani

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (MCT)

3 May 2007

KABUL, Afghanistan - A dispute between the nation’s chief prosecutor and the country’s most popular television station is raising fears that media freedom is under attack.

The clash began with the April 17 broadcast of an address by Prosecutor General Abdul Jabar Sabet before parliament, in which he lambasted members of the country’s judiciary.

After seeing the broadcast, Sabet insisted that the parts of his speech that were shown were misleading and distorted his opinion.

Rather than file a complaint with the broadcaster, however, Sabet decided to send armed men to gather up Tolo TV’s news editor and two other staff members and escort them to his office.

What happened next is in dispute. Some reports said the journalists were beaten and appeared disheveled after their encounter with the chief prosecutor. Some said they saw bruises on the reporters’ arms and backs.

Whatever the case, before they were released, the three Tolo staff members agreed to sign statements saying they would not file complaints against either the police or the prosecutor.

Tolo decided to fight back, however, broadcasting a series of reports highlighting unflattering incidents in Sabet’s past, including his previous association with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a notorious warlord who has been labeled a terrorist by the United States.

Sabet subsequently brought a complaint about the station’s coverage of him to the nation’s media council, a government body headed by Information and Culture Minister Karim Khuram.

The commission late last month ruled that Tolo should issue an apology to Sabet. So far, the station has refused, saying that its broadcasts are within the bounds of journalistic standards and ethics.

“We have documents that support our reporting,” said Mohammad Abdullah, legal adviser to Tolo TV. “We sent these documents to the Supreme Court and the media commission.”

From its very inception in 2004, Tolo has proved to be both extremely popular and controversial.

Its news programs are widely praised for their accuracy and comprehensive coverage. The station also serves up a blend of Bollywood films, music videos and satire, along with the tremendously popular “Afghan Star,” modeled on “American Idol.”

But its programming has also offended many in the country who think it violates Afghan cultural values. The parliament, made up mainly of staunchly conservative elements, has repeatedly sought to place sanctions on the station for its “un-Islamic” programming.

In addition to its recent dispute with the country’s prosecutor, Tolo has also come under attack from those who contend the channel has taken sides in a growing political debate between the Pashtun majority and members of the former Northern Alliance - a collection of fighters who battled the Soviet occupation, then went on to wage a bloody civil war among themselves until they were chased out of much of the country by the Taliban.

The scars from those years run deep, and many Pashtuns think they are being unfairly pilloried by a media dominated by members of other ethnic groups.

Abdullah denies that the station is partisan.

“It is absolutely untrue that we are taking sides,” he said. “We are very careful about balance, accuracy and fairness in our news. And we do not pick on one group - everyone complains about Tolo.”

And by everyone, he also means members of the general public. Despite having the largest audience in the country, Tolo seems to be the channel people enjoy complaining about the most.

“Tolo is not broadcasting in accordance with our culture,” said Fazel Rahman Oria, a Kabul resident.

“Tolo is against Islam,” complained Mohammad Rahim, 35, also of Kabul. “The prosecutor did a very good thing. Tolo is always insulting famous people. It goes completely against our culture. When I wake up at 4:30 in the morning and turn on the television, I want to hear a reading of the Koran or other religious program. But Tolo is broadcasting music videos at that hour.”

“Most of Tolo’s programs are against the government, against the regime,” said Rahmin Kazrimyar. “It’s good that we have freedom of speech, but that does not mean that you can say anything you want.”

It’s those types of sentiments that have many observers worried about media freedom in Afghanistan, especially as parliament begins to debate a new law that would impose tough new controls on the country’s journalists and media outlets.

One article of the proposed legislation is especially worrisome to Rahimullah Samander, the head of the Committee to Protect Afghan Journalists.

“Article 33 states that the media must be careful to respect Afghan nationality, they cannot use swear words, they cannot insult people, libel them and so on. But there are no definitions for these things,” he said.

In addition, the bill would also place limitations on private television stations. Programming could be censored by the government, and stations would be required to include Islamic programming in their daily schedules.

“We are worried because the fundamentalists are the majority in the parliament,” said Samander. “They do not want freedom of the press, and they do not want the press to publish anything negative about their activities, about what they did in the past and are still doing. They just want the press to be under their control.”

In the face of such a threat, Samander worries that media outlets, both print and broadcast, will start aligning themselves with specific political or ethnic groups to protect themselves.

“I am worried about journalism in Afghanistan,” he said. “Most publications and media organizations are now starting to work for specific sides. They are losing their objectivity, and if things continue this way, Afghanistan’s media will lose the trust of the people and of the international community.”

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ABOUT THE WRITER
Wahidullah Amani is a journalist in Afghanistan, who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict.