March 10, 2025-NewYork. The Dashty Foundation, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN, the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN, Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), and the Glocal Foundation, hosted a critical side event at the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) to address the alarming collapse of press freedom in Afghanistan. Journalists, diplomats, and human rights advocates came together to highlight the Taliban’s systematic suppression of independent journalism, calling for urgent international intervention to protect Afghanistan’s media professionals and uphold press freedom. Key Demands from Afghanistan’s Journalists:
Preventing the international community from
Falling victim to Taliban-controlled narratives.
Strengthening support for citizen journalism and independent reporters.
Maintaining and expanding sanctions to pressure the Taliban.
Providing assistance to women-led media and exiled female journalists.
Addressing the dire conditions of Afghanistan’s journalists stranded in Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Sayara Dashty, President of the Dashty Foundation, emphasized: “Our mission is to safeguard the right to information for Afghan citizens. We must stand with the journalists who risk everything to tell the truth—not those operating under Taliban control. The UN and global community must resist engagement that legitimizes repression.” The event featured remarks from Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan’s UN representative, alongside senior diplomats from Canada and the Netherlands, and key voices in press freedom, including Rachel Pulfer (Journalists for Human Rights) and Afghanistan journalists Anisa Shaheed, Maryam Rahmati, and Hasiba Atakpal, Afghanistan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi with modération of Rukhsar Azamee. The discussion reinforced the urgent need for coordinated global action—including asylum pathways, legal protections, and accountability mechanisms—to safeguard Afghan journalists and prevent the erasure of independent media in Afghanistan.
