Afghanistan Imposes Censorship on Election Day

[Heidi]

Source: NY Times

Published: August 18, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban and the Afghan government escalated a war of attrition and propaganda on Tuesday, two days before the presidential election, with the Taliban unleashing suicide bombings and a rocket assault at the presidential palace and the government barring news organizations from reporting on election day violence.

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Later, the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement asking all domestic and international news agencies to refrain from reporting any violent attacks between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on election day.

The National Security Council had made the decision “in view of the need to ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people in upcoming presidential and provincial council elections, and prevent any election-related terrorist violence,” the statement said.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/asia/19afghan.html?em

[tekisui]

1. Now, This: Afghan journalists ignore ban on reporting election violence

Source: Guardian

Afghan journalists have rejected a government order not to report attacks or violence on election day, saying the ban would stifle press freedoms that were supposed to have returned after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

On the eve of the country's presidential election, Taliban violence has escalated with two suicide bombings against Nato troops, rocket fire on the presidential compound and an armed assault on a bank. Militants have threatened to attack polling stations tomorrow.

Fearing that coverage of such violence would deter people from voting, the government issued two decrees. The foreign ministry has banned all broadcasts of information about attacks while polls are open and the interior ministry has told reporters to keep away from the scene of any trouble.

"We have taken this decision in the national interest of Afghanistan to encourage people and raise their morale to come out and vote," Siamak Herawi, a spokesman for the president, Hamid Karzai, told Reuters.

It is unclear how effective the ban has been. Several attacks are rumoured to have taken place in Kabul today but were not officially reported.

Many representatives of Afghanistan's lively local media have said the prohibition violates freedom of the press. Rahimullah Samander, head of the Independent Journalist Association of Afghanistan, said: "We will not obey this order. We are going to continue with our normal reporting and broadcasting of news."

Samander said he refused to obey the reporting ban when a presidential spokesman told him about it.

When there are rumours of violence, "the first thing they do is turn on their radios or TVs, or go on the internet to read news", Samander told the Associated Press. "If the people aren't able to find information, it will be very difficult for them to participate in the election. If there is, for example, an attack on a highway going to a polling station, the people should know about it. It may be dangerous for them to use that highway."

more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/19/afghan-election-violence-reporting-ban

[tekisui]

2. Six election workers have been killed

KABUL (AP) Insurgents in Afghanistan have unleashed attacks on poll workers ahead of tomorrow's presidential election. Six election workers have been killed by roadside bombs. Taliban militants and their allies are attempting to disrupt the balloting.

http://www.kxmc.com/News/423068.asp