Afghanistan: Radio producer and presenter found dead in southern Afghanistan

IFEX

Afghanistan Journalists Center

The Afghanistan Journalists Center is saddened to learn that Noor Ahmad Noori, a 25-year-old employee for local radio Boost in southern Helmand province, was found dead.

The journalist's body bore signs of strangulation and severe marks of blows to the head. It was found in a sack near the provincial capital of Lashkargah on Thursday 23 January 2014 at around 9pm, 11 hours after he disappeared.

Talking to Afghanistan Journalists Center, Abdul Salam Zahed, the head of Boost, said Noori went missing from Moaref st. in the center of Lashkargah.

"I will go for a bit of a walk in the city as usual, [Noori reportedly] told his brother before he went missing at around 10 am," Zahed added.

According to Zahed, Noori was the producer and presenter of two religious programs of the radio since 2008 and had earlier worked with The New York Times newspaper as well.

"It is still too early to talk about a motive and he was not aware of threats being made against him," Zahed added.

According to a friend of Noori's, he was leading an English training course and also working with the Haq wa Edalat (Right and Justice party).

Helmand Governor Mohammad Naeem told reporters that Noori had been killed in mysterious circumstances and investigations had been initiated to identify those who are behind the killing.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has condemned the murder of Noor Ahmad Noori in the strongest terms and called on the Afghan government to seriously pursue the case.

Since 1993, as many as 39 journalists, writers and other media workers have been killed in Afghanistan - 23 of them in targeted attacks and 16 others in fighting and explosions, including 3 journalists (two in insurgent targeted attacks and one in an explosion) in Helmand province.

AFJC's finding shows that the killers - with the exception of two cases - continue to enjoy impunity.