Afghanistan:Journalist And Activist Malalai Maiwand Shot Dead By Gunman

Malalai Maiwand, a journalist with Enikas Radio and TV in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, was on her way to work when a gunman shot her dead along with her driver. Maiwand, who also worked as an activist for women's rights is among 9 other journalists killed this year in Afghanistan. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for killing Malalai Maiwand.

“She was on the way to office when the incident happened,” Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said

The incident took place in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar. Until now no militant organisation has taken the responsibility for the murder. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the group’s involvement in the incident.

Maiwand is the second journalist associated with Enaki Radio and Tv to be targeted. Engineer Zalmay, the owner, was abducted for ransom in 2018. Even the Maiwand family has a history of being subjected to such violence. In 2015 Maiwand lost her mother, who was also an activist, as she was shot dead by an unidentified gunman.

Nai, an organisation working towards safeguarding journalists in Afghanistan issued a statement,“With the killing of Malalai, the working field for female journalists is getting more smaller and the journalists may not dare to continue their jobs the way they were doing before,”

Also read: This Afghan Teen Girl Killed Two Taliban Men Who Murdered Her Parents

In November, two journalists were killed in a bomb blast. Radio Azadi journalist Elyas Dayee was killed in southern Helmand and Yama Siawash a former presenter at TOLOnews was killed in Kabul blasts. The Afghan government and other international bodies condemned the attacks in the area which are only growing and targeted towards journalists and activists.

In 2019, Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reported 45 cases of violence against journalists and media workers in just first six months of the year. Afghanistan grapples with extreme violence towards women and children. A BBC reports says that an average of 74 men, women and children were killed every day in Afghanistan throughout the month of August 2019.