Two years after the assassination of Yama Siavash, a former TOLO News anchor, Human Rights Watch has strongly criticized the negligence in reaching cases of violence against journalists in Afghanistan.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday (November 7th) that justice was not served in connection with the assassination of Yama Siavash.
Siavash exposed corruption in Ashraf Ghani’s government in his hot interviews, according to HRW.
The rights group says that since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, access to justice has been further restricted as the group has dismantled the justice system and continues to perpetuate violence against journalists.
Referring to UN statistics, HRW has said that at least 33 media workers have been killed in Afghanistan between 2018 to 2021, and the Taliban and ISKP have claimed responsibility for many of attacks on journalists.
HRW emphasizes that the assassination of Yama Siavash and the attacks on other journalists should be at the forefront of any investigation.
Yama Siavash, a former anchor of TOLO News, died on November 7, 2020 in the explosion of a magnetic mine embedded in his vehicle. The investigation about the manner of his death did not reach a conclusion, because the Central Bank under Ashraf Ghani’s administration, where Yama Siavash was an employee, did not cooperate much in handling the case.