One Year Since The Fall of Kabul: A Conversation on Press Freedom in Afghanistan

Aug 26 2022

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Aug 26, 2022 at 11:00am

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Online

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Zach Cohen

[email protected]

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Special Event

Reporters from Afghanistan and the US will discuss the current state of press freedom in the war-torn country at a virtual event at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 26. You can watch this event live via the YouTube player below.

After the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan one year ago this month, news organizations scrambled to help colleagues and their families out of the country.

Reporting only became more difficult for those who stayed. Since taking control of Kabul, the Taliban has beaten, arrested, and raided the homes of journalists. The situation has been particularly dire for women, who have been forced off the air or compelled to cover their faces while presenting, prompting pushback from their male colleagues.

The panelists will discuss the challenges facing independent journalists in Afghanistan, their diaspora in DC and elsewhere, and what can be done to support their work. This free event is co-hosted by the Club’s Press Freedom Committee and International Correspondents Committee. The one-hour discussion will be moderated by Al-Monitor’s Elizabeth Hagedorn.

Registered participants will receive a unique link to access the webinar in their confirmation email after completing registration. Attendees are invited to submit questions during the event by emailing [email protected]

Speakers

Zahra Joya
Zahra Joya

Zahra Joya is founder of Rukhshana Media, Afghanistan’s only news outlet staffed exclusively by female reporters named for a 19-year-old girl who was stoned to death by the Taliban. Before the U.S. ousted the Taliban in 2001, Joya dressed as a boy so she could get an education and later enrolled in law school. She has lived in exile in London since she fled the country out of fear of the Taliban’s retaliation last year. She was named one of Time Magazine’s Women of the Year in March.

Nazira Karimi
Nazira Karimi

Nazira Karimi is a journalist, television presenter, author, and entrepreneur from Afghanistan currently based in U.S. She reported for Afghanistan National Radio and TV, BBC, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Voice of America, and more until Kabul fell to the Taliban. She now owns and manages NK Media, a futuristic multimedia house for the Afghan community around the world. The Washington Post in 2001 called her “a young Barbara Walters.”

Mustafa Kazemi
Mustafa Kazemi

Mustafa Kazemi is a veteran war correspondent with over 12 years of reporting experience in Afghanistan for outlets including Radio Free Europe, Sky News, Business Insider and AFP. He also served in the Afghan Special Forces. Kazemi and his family evacuated to Virginia following the Taliban takeover in August 2021. 

Rebecca Blumenstein
Rebecca Blumenstein

Rebecca Blumenstein is deputy managing editor of The New York Times. Among her many responsibilities, she led the effort to relocate and resettle more than 200 current and former Afghan colleagues and their families following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.  Prior to joining The Times, she worked at The Wall Street Journal in various senior editing roles and wrote for the Tampa Tribune, Gannett newspapers, and Newsday. 

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