Reporters, Victims of Terrorism

While the world is facing various threats and crises, terrorism poses a serious threat to human community. Applying intensive forms of torture, aggression and abuse of religious principles, terrorism has endangered peace, security and stability of countries. Therefore, an international convergence is seriously needed to confront this ominous phenomenon.

The recent blast in the Afghan capital Kabul claimed dozens of martyrs and wounded. Press TV’s cameraman was also among the martyrs. Habibullah Husseinzadeh was martyred while coming to the office. The martyr’s body was among the unknown victims and he was identified after 6 days. Press TV in a statement expressed condolences to his family, relatives and colleagues. The statement read: such terrorist acts which have threatened the security and calm of the innocent people, with the overt and covert support of some regional and western powers, will create no disruption in the resolve of Press TV and the other independent media to disseminate the news in a realistic and responsible manner. Habibullah Husseinzadeh joined his martyred colleagues Maya Naser, Serena Shim and Farhad Taqaddosi and the memory of their self-sacrifice and courage will remain forever.

The IRIB World Service Department, too, strongly condemned the terrorist blast in Kabul and expressed condolences to Iran’s media staff.

The fact of the matter is that after Syria, Afghanistan is the most dangerous country for reporters in the world. The high number of casualties among reporters and journalists in Afghanistan, especially in 2016, shows that the media staff is very much at stake in the country. Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Daesh and unknown gunmen were responsible for assassination and killing of reporters in the past years and Press TV’s cameraman Habibullah Husseinzadeh was one of dozens of correspondents who were martyred in the recent explosion in Kabul. The suicide blast occurred on May 31, 2017 in Zanbaq crossroads, Vazir Akbar Khan region of Kabul in which more than 80 people were killed and over 400 others were injured. Deputy spokesman of Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry Najib Danesh said the explosion was so strong that over 30 vehicles were damaged. The windows of buildings, shops and restaurants were broken within a distance of one kilometer. The windows of building of Iran’s News agency (IRNA) were also broken. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s embassy, also, was seriously hurt.

 2016 was a tragic year for journalists in Afghanistan. 15 reporters were killed in various events in the year. Journalists in Afghanistan have been lacking appropriate conditions for years and since 2001 nearly 63 local and international reporters have been killed in Afghanistan which is a deeply shocking figure.

Last year started in Afghanistan with the killing of the head of TV Asia Herat in Kabul Amanullah Ataei. Then in June, Taliban murdered 7 media employees in an assassination which can be described as the most shocking and tragic incident for journalists in Afghanistan. Towards the end of the year reporters like Hussein Amiri, Zainab Mirzaei, Ms. Mehri, Mariam Ibrahimi, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi, Mohammad Nasir Moddathther, Mr. Khaksar, Zabihullah Tamanna, Hussein Mohammadi, Mohammad Yaqoub Sherafat, Mohammad Hussein and Ne’matullah Zohair were among the media staff who were killed in separate terrorist operations in all regions of Afghanistan.

This situation was so worrying that Ifex (the international body consisting of 108 organs defending freedom of expression in the world) urged the Afghan government to quickly clarify its performance regarding the cases of murdered journalists and media staff in Afghanistan.

According to Afghan voice agency AVA, the Ifex network has written an open letter about the situation of reporters to the Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. The letter asked the Afghan president to provide a report as a reply to this international request. Based on Ifex information, from 2006 to 2017, 900 reporters and media staff were killed in the world while the perpetrators of 90% of these incidents are immune from punishment. The findings of correspondent center in Afghanistan shows that from 2001 to 2016, 72 correspondents and media staffs have been killed in this country and the perpetrators of most of these events have escaped punishment.

The head of Ifex international network added that the impunity of perpetrators of crimes against journalists increases the likelihood of repetition of such crimes. Thus, exemption of punishment is one of the greatest threats to freedom of expression and freedom of access to information in the world.

The Organization of reporters without borders, in its latest report declared that at least 57 reporters have lost their lives while in duty in 2016 across the world. The report also said that in 2016, 19 reporters have been killed in Syria, 10 in Afghanistan, 9 in Mexico and 5 in Iraq.

In 2015, over 67 correspondents have lost their lives in various parts of the world and this shows that reporters have removed from the countries that are extremely dangerous especially Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan and Burundi. The report added removal of journalists from war-stricken countries has faced access to information and news with major hurdles. In Afghanistan, almost all of the killed reporters have been targeted because of their profession. 

In 1966, the chief editor and founder of daily Al-Hayat, Kamel Marwa, was assassinated in Lebanon. On the seventh day of his martyrdom, Imam Musa Sadr delivered a speech on protection of journalists and freedom of expression which is still attractive and fresh. With respect to the souls of all media martyrs and especially martyr Habibullah Husseinzadeh, we review excerpts of Imam Musa Sadr’s speech after the music.

Brothers! Freedom is the highest means for mobilizing all human capacity and capability. Nobody can serve in a society which is deprived of freedom. Freedom is the best means for applying human possibilities for serving the society. Freedom means recognition of human dignity whereas lack of freedom means suspicion on human and denial of his dignity. Freedom is the right of a journalist that his society should present to him. Freedom is a service for a journalist to bring his work to end and a service to the community to know everything. Preservation of freedom is impossible unless with freedom. Freedom, contrary to what is said, has no limits and end. Full freedom is a right, a right from God and there is no restriction to it. The real freedom is getting rid of the factors of foreign and domestic pressure and according to Imam Ali (PBUH), the free person is the one who gives up his carnal desire.

Brothers! A journalist should not be insulted and pressured, should not be kept in poverty or subjected to threat and terror. Terror is the worst and the most futile way for achieving a goal. How much great is the goal, terror cannot be justified. From the viewpoint of religion, conscience and human intellect, deceit, cowardice and terror are considered a crime.

God bless you Abu Jameel! You have welcomed death but death is never annihilation. Death, in view of the faithful is transfer from land to the heaven and from restriction to infinite. Death means to break chains. Death is creation not destruction, the real life starts only after death. The phenomenon of death and afterlife is the same as development, progress and perfection. No development takes place without death. The real development of human being is materialized in the light of passing through a stage in which he lives. Transformation of human body’s cells to thought is possible only after death. Death is perfection and a prelude to development and the source of immortality and truth.

FK/RM/MG