Sunday, March 17, is National Journalists' Day in the country.

On this occasion, several media support organizations and journalists criticized the lack of an implemented mass media law in the country. They raised the issue during a meeting for National Journalists' Day.

These organizations and journalists said that the lack of a mass media law is a significant void and that the mass media law should be approved by the leader of the Islamic Emirate as soon as possible.

"The mass media law, which was sent to Kandahar for approval, I hope will be approved and made available to journalists soon so that the path and method of our colleagues are clarified," said Samim Forough Faizi, the spokesperson for the Afghanistan Media Institution.

"National Journalists' Day is celebrated while most journalists face many economic problems and limitations in accessing information," said Haider Mohammad Nazari, a journalist.

Maryam Mirzai is a journalist who has worked for various media outlets for more than three years but is now unemployed and expresses concerns about her poor economic situation.

"I myself worked as a journalist in various visual and audio media areas, and now I have been unemployed for a while, and there are other journalists like me who are unemployed," Maryam Mirzai told TOLOnews.

The Afghan Journalists Center in its annual report on the occasion of Journalists' Day stated that in the year 1402 it recorded nearly 150 incidents of media rights violations against journalists, including 80 threats and 59 arrests of journalists.

Although the Islamic Emirate did not comment on this matter, Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, says that journalists must operate within the framework of Islamic values and national interests.

"I hope that journalists reflect realities within the framework of Islamic values and consider national interests and fulfill their responsibilities correctly," Hamdullah Fitrat added.

"The Ministry of Information and Culture is committed to cooperating with journalists and media, and journalists must also reflect the truth," said Hayatullah Mohajir Farahi, the deputy of the Ministry of Information and Culture.

It has been more than a year and a half since the mass media law was reviewed by the Ministry of Information and Culture and sent to the leader of the Islamic Emirate in Kandahar for approval, however, this law has not yet been ratified.