News - Afghanistan

The release of an anti-Islamic movie and caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad go against the civil and political rights of people where the offending material was released, Afghan media watchdog Nai CEO Abdul Majid Khelwatgar said Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting for International Journalism day, Khelwatgar said that the release of the film "Innocence of Muslims" in the US and offensive cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in a French magazine went against the US and French civil rights conventions, adding that which harms other religions is against all international conventions.

"Article no. 2 of the political and civil rights of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights prohibits the release of anything that harms race, identity, or religion. Anything which incites political and religious violence," Khelwatgar said.

The Nai chief also raised concerns about the apparent rise of violence against journalists but said that in some cases the lack of a code of conduct contributed to the violence against them.

"At least 20 percent of the violence against the journalists is a result of the lack of a journalistic code of conduct," he said.

Nai made the comments after an anti-Islamic film produced in the US was released last week, resulting in violent demonstrations throughout many Islamic countries including Afghanistan.

It comes the same day that hundreds of people protested in the Afghan capital again, burning flags and images of Barack Obama. However, it was a controlled protest without the same level of violence the capital saw on Sunday when as many as 50 police were injured trying to contain the behaviour crowds.

Officials from Afghanistan's Reform Association also condemned the publication of the caricatures in a French magazine Thursday urging for the urgent prosecution of the producers of such acts.