Kabul (BNA) Addressing a press conference here on Monday in Kabul, the Deputy Minister of Publications for Ministry of Information and Culture, Abdul Manan Shiway Sharq said that 132 media related cases have been addressed in post-Taliban era, Bakhtar Information Agency reported.
The deputy minister first gave information about addressing the cases of violence against journalists and asked the country’s media to renew their licenses.
During the meeting, which was attended by a number of officials and representatives of media institutions, the Deputy Minister of Information and Culture congratulated the advent of World Press Freedom Day to the country’s journalists, saying that 1974 media outlets have not paid their taxes for years and even had not renewed their licenses.
He called on the owners of these media outlets to take action as soon as possible in order to resume their activities and clear their taxes.
Deputy Minister Sharq briefed the audience on the functions and attention of the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Joint Committee of Media and government in handling media cases, saying that 132 media cases have been reviewed since the beginning of the post-Taliban era.
He pointed out that from 1398 to 1399 Solar Years, the justice and judiciary organs have addressed 27 media cases and its report have been made available to the media. The Deputy Minister of Information and Culture went on saying that media institutions have paid the least attention to the rights and privileges of journalists and their employees.
Sharq also provided information on the Ministry of Information and Culture’s appeal for non-violence against the media, with the cooperation of the country’s security forces and influential national and international institutions, as well as the presence of the media community representative in the peace talks. He stressed that the assassination of the media and journalists must be stopped and that the threat against journalists and freedom of expression in Afghanistan was crime.
Hinting at supporting fund for Afghan journalists, Sharq said that some amount of the money was wasted, stressing that the Fund for the Protection of Journalists will start operating with a new structure in the future, and those who have personally used the fund’s money will be dealt legally.
