USAID/AMDEP

Afghan media outlets congregate to broadcast the press conference of the Media Law Committee at the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association.

CHALLENGE    The lack of legal protection for journalists and lawyers’ unfamiliarity of core concepts of media law have contributed to a weak advocacy environment and the poor implementation of Afghanistan’s Mass Media Law.

INITIATIVE    To help Afghan lawyers, USAID supported the formation of the Afghan Media Lawyers Committee, operating underneath the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association (AIBA). The Media Lawyers Committee serves as a forum for lawyers in Afghanistan with an interest in media law and policy to share best practices, defend the legal protection of journalists and the press, promote the professional standards of media law advocates, and draft reports and advocate for the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and information.  

RESULTS   News agencies gathered en masse to broadcast the first press conference of the Media Law Committee. The President of the Afghanistan National Journalist Union Abdul Hamid Mobarez, and Dean Mohammad Mobarez Rashidi, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information and Culture, spoke passionately about the critical importance of this organization.

In the aftermath of the press conference, the Media Law Committee received requests from media outlets and journalists to provide legal aid and representation. The committee has accepted and subsequently assigned lawyers to these cases throughout the country, as it continues its mission to support the growth of a more robust and energetic legal and media sector in Afghanistan.

Afghan Lawyers Defend Media