Thirty news agencies in Afghanistan, including TOLOnews, signed a strongly-worded statement issued on Tuesday accusing the Afghan government of a “double standard” in its dealings with the nation’s media.

On the one hand, the government touts its commitment to supporting a free press, while on the other hand it “severely restricts” media access to information about its security forces, financial activity, and legal system, the statement claims.

The statement notes that despite being “one of the deadliest places to be a journalist,” Afghanistan media is still the “freest in the region,” but says that the “carelessness of the government,” will endanger this “hard-won achievement.”

Following the Tuesday press conference, the United Nations in Afghanistan, the European Union embassy in Kabul, Reporters Without Borders and the US, UK, French, German and Canadian embassies, among others, publicly voiced their support for the Afghan media and increased access to government information.

In this episode host Karim Amini discusses the topic with the following guests:

• Ainuddin Bahaduri, head Oversight Commission on Access to Information
• Sediqullah Tawhidi, deputy CEO of journalists' safety committee
• Abdul Manan Shewa Sharq, Deputy Minister of Culture
• Hamid Mayar, journalist
• Nazari Paryani, reporter