Media watchdogs expressed criticism over the delay in the formation of the Commission on Media Violation (CMV), saying that despite three months passing since the promise of the caretaker government regarding media, the CMV has yet to be established, and unsolved challenges lie ahead of the media.  

Nearly three months ago, the Ministry of Information and Culture announced that it would form a CMV comprised of members of the government and media outlets to address the problems of the media community in Afghanistan.  

“We hope the commission will be established soon so a good foundation will be made for media activities and the freedom of expression,” said Hujatullah Mujadidi, head of the Afghan Independent Journalists Association. 

“There have been no practical steps in this regard. This is really concerning. If the Commission on Media Violation is activated, it could be very helpful to prevent the selective treatment of the government departments toward the media community” said Masroor Lutfi, head of the Afghanistan National Journalists Union (ANJU).  

The deputy Minister of Information and Culture, Zabiullah Mujahid, at gathering during the last solar year, said the commission was intended to prevent the interference of other organizations in media affairs. However, the commission has yet to be formed.  

“The Commission on Media Violation must be formed by the government soon so any type of violation by a journalist or a media organization will be investigated by an independent group. Not every department should be able to detain the journalist and impose restrictions on the media” said Naveed Kawash, a journalist.  

“The affairs of the journalists belongs to the Ministry of Information and Culture, other departments must not interfere,” said Samiullah Popalzai, a journalist. 

Despite repeated attempts, TOLOnews was unable to obtain a comment on this topic from the Islamic Emirate.

This comes as at least 12 journalists have been detained within less than a month by security departments.