24 Feb 12 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
An Afghan radio journalist was beheaded on Tuesday night in the southeast province of Paktika, Afghanistan. AFP quoted a local official as saying that Samid Khan Bahadarzai, 25, had been lured to a meeting with unidentified men hours before his body was found near his home in Urgun, a town close to the Pakistan border. Afghan news website Khaama Press reported that the journalist had worked for Mehman Radio, a local station.
15 Feb 12 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
Parviz Safi, a cameramen for state-owned English-language TV station Press TV, was attacked with acid by three unidentified men on 6 February in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The journalist suffered second-degree burns to his face, but the substance missed his eyes and his life is not in danger. On 18 January last year, Razaq Mamoon, who worked for several media organisations and presented a programme on independent TV station Tolo TV, was also sprayed with acid. He was seriously injured and is still receiving medical treatment abroad.
20 Sep 11 | Index Index, minipost
A journalist was forced to apologise to Afghan war lords at gun point. Afghan-American journalist Nabil Miskinyar claims he was picked up for lunch on 12 September by four men, including Najibullah Kabuli, owner of the private Emrooz Television channel. Miskinyar says he was forced to conduct an interview with two guns pointed at him. The journalist, known for his hard-hitting monologues, was told he and his family would be killed if he did not apologise. Miskinyar said in the interview “if I did not say the right things, or if I have attributed false things to these leaders of the resistance, then I apologise to the Afghan people.'”
12 Sep 11 | Index Index, minipost
A BBC stringer who was killed in Afghanistan in July was shot by a US soldier who mistook him for a suicide bomber during a battle against insurgents, NATO has said. Releasing the findings of its investigation into the death of Ahmed Omed Khpulwak, the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force issued a statement expressing its condolences for the killing, but said its forces had complied with the laws of armed conflict and acted reasonably. According to the statement, US forces shot Khpalwak in order to “detonate a suicide vest IED”, after mistaking him for an insurgent.
