Journalist shot dead amid anti-government protests in Ghor Province

Journalist shot dead amid anti-government protests in Ghor Province

Journalist shot dead amid anti-government protests in Ghor Province

9 May 2020

FiroozKoh-- A presenter for Seday-e-Ghor Radio Ahmadkhan Nawid was shot and killed amid anti-government protests in provincial capital, Firoozkoh today officials said on Saturday.

According to the tolonews, frustrated residents of Ghor province gathered in the streets on Saturday to protest what they called the government's "inattention to helping the poor" during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Interior Ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian said that two policemen were killed and 10 others were wounded after a number of “irresponsible armed men” who were among the protestors opened fire on security forces and on public property.

“A delegation will be sent from Kabul to investigate today’s incident in a comprehensive manner,” he said, adding that four protestors, including a journalist, were killed and nine others were wounded.

The protest started in front of the Ghor governor’s compound on Saturday morning and shortly turned violent.

Among the dead was Ahmad khan Nawid, a local volunteer radio presenter who was sitting in his nearby shop and was hit in the head by a bullet, said Sayed Marouf Saeedi, the representative of the Afghanistan Journalists Center(AFJC) in Ghor province.

 Afghanistan Journalists Center(AFJC) strongly condemned today attack on peaceful protesters in Firoozkoh.

“The Afghan authorities must step up their efforts to protect peaceful protesters and shed all possible light on today’s shocking incident and bring those responsible to justice,” said Ahmad Quraishi, AFJC executive director

Ahmadkhan Nawid, 25, was the first journalist killed in Afghanistan in 2020 after a high number of killings in 2019. He joined Radio Seday-e-Ghor(Voice of Ghor) and had worked  as a volunteer presenter of social programs for six months.

AJFC’s findings show fve journalists and media workers killed in 2019 in Afghanistan. Two murder cases including a reporter and a media worker are attributed to the Taliban. Three other murders of two reporters and one media worker were carried out by unknown armed men.