Wednesday 19 August 2009

Afghanistan media blackout call condemned

A call by the Afghan government for all domestic and international media agencies to refrain from broadcasting any incident of violence during the election on Thursday has been condemned.
Rahimullah Samander, head of the Afghan Independent Journalists' Association, told Reuters: "We condemn such moves to deprive people from accessing news."
New York-based Human Rights Watch, also said: "An attempt to censor the reporting of violence is an unreasonable violation of press freedoms."
Siamak Herawi, a spokesman for President Karzai, said the blackout would prevent the media from having a "negative impact" and stop people voting because of fears of violence.
Via BBC News website

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