Silencing journalists harms us all
Mohammad Ilyas Dayee, an Afghan journalist working for RFE/RL, was killed in a targeted bomb attack in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province, on November 12, 2020.
On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett issued the following statement.
“Censoring the media isn’t just a matter of jamming broadcasts, shutting down the internet, or blocking programming. It can also mean silencing journalists, sometimes by any means necessary.
Twenty journalists working for USAGM’s editorially independent news networks have been killed in the line of duty. More have been harassed, jailed, and threatened. Some have even seen their family members get targeted. And more often than not, the perpetrators of these crimes have gone unpunished.
Journalists provide life-saving information, expose corruption, and uncover the truth when those in power try to hide it. The uncensored information that high-quality, independent journalism provides makes it possible for people to make informed decisions about their lives.
We cannot, and we will not, stand for this impunity for crimes against journalists. Governments everywhere should do everything they can to protect journalists. Because silencing journalists affects us all.”
