Decision on NYT reporter unjustified: US

KABUL (Pajhwok): Regretting the Afghan government’s decision regarding the expulsion of New York Times (NYT) reporter, the US ambassador on Thursday slammed the action as “unjustified and based on unfounded allegations”.

In a statement from the US Embassy, James B. Cunningham said that freedom of the press and establishment of a vibrant media were important achievements for Afghanistan and its citizens in the country’s first 12 years of democracy. 

These gains, he warned, were threatened by the decision by the government of Afghanistan to expel Matthew Rosenberg. This first expulsion of a journalist from post-Taliban Afghanistan was a regrettable step backward for the freedom of the press in this country, he added. 

“I expressed today to President Karzai our strong concern about this unwarranted action. I asked him to affirm his government’s recognition of the importance of protecting the freedom of the press, as an important part of the legacy of his presidency,” he concluded. 

pr/rm

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