NDS forces beaten up journalists, smashed their cameras

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghan intelligence operatives on Thursday beaten up some media workers covering a suicide bombing happened on Thursday morning, and broken their cameras.

Four security officials, including a civilian were killed and five others wounded as a result of a car bombing targeting intelligence operatives in Kabul on Thursday morning.

Journalists came under National Directorate of Security (NDS) operatives attack when they reached to the bombing area in order to cover the incident.

Zainullah Mahboobi, a Pajhwok Afghan News photographer, said he reached to the incident area after an hour of the attack happened but he was stopped by the NDS personnel around 200-meters away from the attack area.

He further added that they were still stood in the area when NDS personnel took his camera and hit it on the ground. The NDS personnel told journalists that no one could report about them.

Danish Karokhail the Pajhwok’s director strongly condemned the NDS behavior against journalists and said “Unfortunately the government officials have not learned how to interact with journalists during the past 17 years, but whenever they talk about freedom of speech they boast about their performance,”

Karokhail termed the NDS forces’ act as a serious challenge against access to information and freedom of speech.

Meanwhile, Kabul News TV channel director, Nazir Sahar also called the NDS behavior an act against freedom of speech and said access to information was the right of everyone and no one should restrict it.

He said photographers did not take any photos that violated the media rules or create security problems for security officials.

The Nai, an organization supporting open media in Afghanistan, condemned the NDS forces for their harsh behavior against journalists.

 He said that beating journalists and breaking their cameras were clear violation according to access to information law and freedom of speech.

Nai urged the NDS to take to justice those who committed the violation.

Pk/mds