Two TOLOnews journalists who were preparing a report on the pension problems faced by retired officials, on Sunday said they were “insulted” by Mirwais Babak, head of a security forces unit for the customs department of the Ministry of Finance, who deleted the recorded videos of the reporters.

The report was about the registration process of retirees at the Pensions Department of the Ministry of Finance. In the recorded videos, which were deleted, retired officials complained about difficulties in the process of getting their pensions.

“After insulting us, they got the memory card of the camera and deleted it and we were escorted out of the Pensions Department by ten armed guards,” TOLOnews cameraman Abdul Baes Majidi said.

The Access to Information Commission meanwhile blamed the government for not following the freedom of speech rules and called for a probe into the incident.

“The threats and the insults made against the journalists require a thorough investigation,” said Ainuddin Bahaduri, head of the Access to Information Commission. “And those who have mistreated the journalists, who are probably the security forces of the pensions department, their actions were unacceptable.”

The incident comes weeks after 30 leading media outlets issued a statement criticizing the government for limiting access to information. In response, the government promised to increase access.

But a group of reporters said the government is not committed to the freedom of speech.

“The Finance Ministry or other government offices, with such attempts, want to hide their lack of capacity, and their corruption and mismanagement,” said Aslam Hijab, a reporter in Kabul.

“The government of Afghanistan, particularly the Attorney General’s Office, should act based on the country’s relevant laws towards this issue and those who are involved in this, the incident should be held legally responsible," said Mujib Khalwatgar, head of Nai, an organization supporting open media in Afghanistan.