Afghan Journalists Under Threat in Pakistan
Afghan journalists protest in Paris on Saturday against threats, harassment, and forced deportations by Pakistani government. Photo: @AMSO
The Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) has held a protest march in Paris in response to the deteriorating and increasingly dangerous situation facing Afghan journalists and media workers.
According to AMSO, dozens of Afghan journalists and their families currently stranded in Pakistan and Iran are facing unprecedented uncertainty. Many asylum cases have been rejected or left pending for long periods after interviews, while others are still waiting to be called for interviews. This prolonged limbo has placed their lives and safety at serious risk.
AMSO has raised particular concern about the situation in Pakistan, where Afghan refugees, especially journalists, have been subjected to increasingly restrictive and punitive policies. Afghan journalists report arbitrary arrests, police raids, harassment, mistreatment in detention, severe economic pressure, and constant threats of forced deportation. In many cases, deportations have reportedly taken place without effective legal protection or due process.
The organization warns that the psychological toll of these conditions has been severe. Some journalists have experienced acute mental health crises, including suicide attempts. In just the past week, six Afghan journalists were forcibly deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Journalists who are returned to Afghanistan face serious security threats, including surveillance, detention, enforced disappearance, and other human rights violations. These risks extend beyond individuals to their families and children.
In this context, AMSO says France represents one of the last remaining lifelines for many Afghan journalists. Approximately 150 journalists currently in Pakistan and Iran are awaiting French visas.
AMSO has called on the French government and international organizations to urgently accelerate asylum procedures, end prolonged uncertainty after interviews, and provide immediate protection to journalists at risk. The organization urges that cases be assessed under emergency humanitarian grounds and in line with the 1951 Geneva Convention.
AMSO warns that continued silence and delay could have irreversible human consequences.
