Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KABUL1191
2007-04-10 13:33:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kabul
Cable title:  

GOA RELATIONSHIP WITH AFGHAN MEDIA REACHES

Tags:  PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KCUL AF IR 
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DE RUEHBUL #1191/01 1001333
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101333Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7415
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3938
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3576
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KABUL 001191 

SIPDIS

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DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN
OSD FOR SHIVERS
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A. CG CJTF-76 POLAD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KCUL AF IR
SUBJECT: GOA RELATIONSHIP WITH AFGHAN MEDIA REACHES
CRITICAL JUNCTURE

REF: 06 KABUL 5700

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SUMMARY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KABUL 001191

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN
OSD FOR SHIVERS
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A. CG CJTF-76 POLAD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KCUL AF IR
SUBJECT: GOA RELATIONSHIP WITH AFGHAN MEDIA REACHES
CRITICAL JUNCTURE

REF: 06 KABUL 5700

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (U) Ongoing war in Afghanistan is taking its toll
on media freedom. After initially witnessing dramatic
improvements since the fall of the Taliban,
Afghanistan's media has experienced a slow yet
disturbing turn for the worse over the past year,
including increased detention of journalists and
government interference in media coverage. The
Taliban, for its part, has executed and intimidated
journalists. This cable analyzes those trends and
their link to the Afghan Mass Media Law, expected to
go before Parliament for final approval in the coming
days (septel) as a difficult but necessary debate
over the role of the media comes to a head. End Summary.

--------------
DETERIORATING MEDIA ENVIRONMENT
--------------


2. (U) Afghanistan's media has made significant
progress since the fall of the Taliban. Just six years
ago there was only one government newspaper (Sharia)
and one radio station Sada-i-Sharia (Voice of Sharia),
but today there are over 500 print media outlets, over
50 radio stations and 18 TV stations. But what can be
seen as a success has also produced a strong reaction
from the GOA, insurgents, and conservatives alike.
Journalists and media outlets express fear about
increasing trends toward media intimidation,
government interference, and self-censorship. In the
provinces, where local factional leaders ("warlords")
remain powerful, journalists and media outlets report
being even more vulnerable to intimidation and
reprisals, with some warlords publicly expressing
their disapproval of freedom of the press, seeing it
as a hindrance to their efforts to maintain old
traditions of corruption and intimidation to influence
local politics.


3. (U) There are three major arguments being used by
the GOA to curb media freedom. First, some government
officials argue that free media is "un-Islamic" and
undermines the cultural norms and moral fabric of the

country by broadcasting inappropriate material such as
dancing and music or to promote other religions.
Second, Minister Khoram has cited another often heard
argument that such coverage plays into the hands of
the Taliban, who show it in madrassahs in Pakistan for
recruiting purposes as evidence of how the
Afghangovernment is in fact "un-Islamic." Third, GOA
officials also argue that unregulated media coverage
of Taliban attacks, interviews with insurgents and
criticism of the GOA undermines the central government
- a burden, they maintain, that Afghanistan's fragile
political environment cannot bear.


4. (U) Journalists and media outlets report
significant pressure not to publish negative reports
about the government or specific officials. They
report that the government has specifically gone after
journalists who have had contact with the insurgency
or have carried extensive coverage of insurgent
attacks (see paras 8, 10).


5. (U) Many media organizations point to the
current Afghan Minister of Information and Culture as
part of the problem. They note that since his
appointment by President Karzai, he has brought
several negative changes to the Afghan media
environment including pushing a conservative and
restrictive draft of the Media Law (reftel). Khoram

KABUL 00001191 002 OF 004


recently dismissed nearly 70 young employees within
Radio Television Afghanistan resulting in the
resignation of the Head of Afghanistan Radio
Television. During a February 5 meeting with the DCM,
Khoram defended the move by explaining it as an
attempt to counter Iranian and Pakistani assault on
Afghan culture, and as his Ministry's prerogative in
exercising managerial control over RTA.
Media contacts also point to Parliamentarians,
accusing them of beating journalists and of being
unwilling to provide accurate and up-to-date
information.

-------------- --------------
EXAMPLES OF INTERFERENCE AND INTIMIDATION BY THE GOA
-------------- --------------


6. (U) On April 8, the Attorney General's Office
reportedly instructed local media outlet Lemar TV to
cease transmissions of its Al Jazeera English
programming. According to Tolo TV President Saad
Mohseni, the Ministry of Information and Culture,
which issued the order, failed to provide reasons
for this decision.


7. (U) In late February 2007, Ariana TV correspondent
Fawad Ahmadi was arrested in Herat. NDS officials
allegedly deleted footage of a factory workers
demonstration from Ahmadi's camera.


8. (U) On January 27, 2007 NDS officials detained
Tolo TV News Director Sharif Hassanyar because he had
conducted telephone interviews with a Taliban
spokesperson whoses cell phone number was in
Hassanyar's own phone. He was not harmed, but NDS
officials confiscated his cell phone during that time
to monitor received calls. Hassanyar was detained for
29 hours. No charges or legal grounds for his
detention were even given.


9. (U) The Afghanistan Independent Journalists
Association also reports that one of its journalists,
Tawak Miyazi, has recently been jailed for
interviewing the new Taliban spokesperson, following
the arrest of former spokesman Mohammad Hanif. AIJA
is working to have Mr. Miyazi released, maintaining he
was arrested for selling his interviews to
international outlets such as Reuters and Agence
France Presse.


10. (U) In March 2006, under direction from President
Karzai, NDS officials detained four other senior staff
members from Tolo TV. Tolo TV President Saad Mohseni
believed the arrests were connected to its broadcast
of an interview with Taliban commander Mullah
Sanauallah of Helmand, during which Sanauallah had
made corruption and war crimes allegations against
specific provincial and national government officials,
including General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Vice
President Khalili.


11. (U) In February 2006, radio journalist Abdul
Qudus was arrested and detained for 10 months on false
allegations that he had attacked Parliamentarian
Sarmia Sardad. Qudus was eventually released in
January 2007.


12. (U) On June 18, 2006, the GOA circulated a
document to media outlets imposing restrictions on
media content, including: prohibitions on material
that would create fear of terrorist organizations
interviews with terrorists; reports which will create
anxiety among the public; publication of fatwas issued
by terrorists; negative stories and reports (no
further definition of what constitutes "negative");
coverage which shows the armed forces as weak or

KABUL 00001191 003 OF 004


in a negative light; reports criticizing government
policy regarding neighboring states. Later that
evening the document was withdrawn by then-
Presidential Chief of Staff, Jawed Ludin, but was
defended by President Karzai during a subsequent
meeting with media.


13. (U) By the same token, the government has tried
to intimidate media outlets into airing material
portraying the government positively. According to
Tolo TV, on January 18, 2007 NDS provided footage and
asked that Tolo air it. Tolo refused to do so unless
they had rights to edit or broadcast the footage only
in part. The GOA refused this request. The footage
was subsequently aired by Radio-Television
Afghanistan, the government-run media outlet.


14. (U) According to media sources, NDS has banned
all three issues of "The Mashal Weekly," a fairly new
publication that is critical of the government.
Critics of the paper have accused its Editor-in-Chief,
Fazel Rahman, of being "Christian and a supporter of
the U.S." Rahman has also received threats and had
his car stolen in the past year.


15. (U) Journalists also report being pressured by
jihadi leaders not to use the word "warlord" in their
media coverage. Jihadi leaders claim the term is now
inappropriate, as they no longer use force and are
part of the political process. Media reports
have surfaced in recent weeks that now use the term
"strongmen" to refer to jihadi leaders. (Note:
Despite the concerns raised by media contacts, it is
important to note that there are government leaders,
including Parliamentarians, and in some cases Jihadi
leaders who have been very supportive of free press in
Afghanistan. Some warlords even support and fund media
outlets. End note.)

--------------
...AND BY THE TALIBAN
--------------


16. (U) While the GOA accuses the media of
facilitating, or cooperating too willingly with, the
Taliban, Taliban elements themselves have also been a
major source of threats to the media. More disturbing
than GOA intimidation of the media are continued
physical attacks against journalists.


17. (U) On April 8, Taliban executed Afghan journalist Ajmal
Naqshbandi who had been abducted last month with the Italian
journalist, Daniele Mastrogiacomo (see para 19). In
response, Afghan journalists issued a statement on
April 9 calling for a week-long boycott
of all Taliban news reports. Journalists reported
receiving phone calls from Taliban members
issuing threats against them for initiating the boycott
and saying that journalists who refer to the Taliban
as terrorists or insurgents in their coverage risk
being captured and killed. On April 10, a protest of
over 200 people amassed near Serena Hotel decrying the
execution of Naqshbandi and the government's failure
to negotiate his release.


18. (U) On February 17, 2007, Rahman Qul, editor of
Andkhoy Magazine, was attacked and killed by two armed
motorcyclists. Qul was a well-known journalist in
Faryab Province. Police reported to Pajhwok Afghan
News Agency that Taliban elements were responsible for
the murder and that they had arrested one suspect.


19. (U) According to the AIJA, in January the Taliban
issued an open letter that threatened several
journalists working throughout eastern Afghanistan and
posted it on the AIJA office in Nangarhar. Shortly

KABUL 00001191 004 OF 004


thereafter, there was an explosion in front of the
Nangarhar home of one of the journalists mentioned.
AIJA also reports two separate attacks against
journalists in Laghman province that occurred in
January 2007, one by insurgents and the second
by local police. (Note: According to AIJA, police
claimed the shooting was a case of mistaken identity.
End note.)


20. (U) On October 9, 2006, two German journalists
were killed in Baghlan province. Both international
and Afghan journalists have decried the GOA's March
2007 release of imprisoned Taliban officials in
exchange for the freedom of Italian journalist Daniele
Mastrogiacomo, who had been kidnapped by the Taliban.
Journalists maintain that the deal reached with the
GOA for Mastrogiacomo's freedom now puts them at
greater risk of becoming Taliban targets.

--------------
PUTTING THE GENIE BACK INTO THE BOTTLE
--------------


21. (U) In an April 5 meeting with the DCM, Minister
Khoram maintained that he is perfectly happy to
allow any and all criticism of the Afghan government;
the issue, he said, is maintaining cultural norms
and how to avoid fueling enemy propaganda, and he
asked for U.S. understanding on this score. Post,
however, continues to receive contradictory
perspectives about GOA tolerance of criticism against
it. In an April 5 meeting with POLOFF, Nader Nadery
of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission
(AIHRC) claimed that the AIHRC had received letters
from Presidential Chief of Staff Daudzai, Supreme
Court Chief Justice Azimi, and Farouk Wardak asking
them to stop speaking publicly "against" the GOA.
According to Nadery, these letters intimated that
"free speech does not include criticism of the
government". Nadery also claimed that in early March
he met with President of the Lower House Qanooni to
raise concerns about the media law during which
Qanooni asked him, "Is a free media really a good
thing?"

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


22. (U) The core issue here is a lack of mutually
accepted rules of engagement between the media and
the government in the context of an ongoing war whose
outcome is by no means pre-determined. The Media Law
- set to go before Parliament for final approval in
the coming days - will be a key step to
institutionalizing those rules of engagement. Free
press is a new concept for many in Afghanistan (where
the historical pattern has featured violent
conservative backlash against too rapid social
liberalization). Since the fall of the Taliban,
Afghanistan's media has grown faster than Afghan
cultural understanding of it can keep up.
With the threat posed by the insurgency foremost
on its mind, the GOA is equally fearful of the
power of an unchecked media. The GOA feels it has few
allies in the media, controls only one outlet (RTA),
and must resort to clumsy (and futile) efforts to put
the free press genie back in the bottle. Critics in
the media, for their part, do not appear to
acknowledge the fragility of free government in
Afghanistan and the fact that if the Taliban takes
over again, they will be the first to suffer. This
difficult but necessary debate is coming to a head
with passage of the Media Law in the coming days
(septel).
NORLAND