LONDON: A scheme to resettle Afghan civil society representatives in the UK has been delayed, adding to the plight and threats faced by Afghan journalists.
According to Urdu News, organizations working in favor of press freedom have warned that Britain is failing to protect Afghan citizens, especially journalists.
The delay in resettling Afghan citizens in Britain means that European allies including Germany and France do not agree with London’s policy.
It should be noted that after the Taliban came to power in August 2021, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced a scheme called the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which aims to bring representatives of Afghan civil society to the UK. Had to settle.
The warning from media organizations comes as the British government is to release details of the next phase of its Afghan resettlement scheme.
Journalist organizations say that many Afghan citizens have appealed to them for help, while earlier European allies of Britain have given shelter to many Afghan journalists.
Journalist groups Index Censorship, National Union of Journalists, PEN International and English PEN have requested British Home Secretary Sylla Braverman to help resettle Afghan citizens.
Martin Bright, editor of the Index on Censorship, says that Afghan journalists seeking asylum in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran have not been given any assurances by the British government while they are resettled in the UK under the ACRS scheme. Eligible to be.
He said that due to the lack of clear information regarding the progress of the ACRS scheme, no assistance can be provided to the Afghan citizens, which leads to the disappearance, torture, arrest, imprisonment and killing of journalists. The risk of threats increases.
Since the Taliban came to power, the majority of Afghan journalists have taken refuge in neighboring countries, but they remain at risk due to the possibility of deportation.
Last month, there were reports of the authorities confiscating the personal electronics of most Afghan journalists, including phones, laptops and cameras, in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
A female Afghan journalist who took refuge in Pakistan said that at that time I went through Qiyaama. There is a lot of discrimination, racism and bigotry in Pakistani society, especially for Afghan women.
Before the Taliban came to power, most Afghan journalists were working for Western media organizations, yet eight journalists working for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) were denied British visas.
However, after taking legal action against the British Home Department, the visa application of these journalists was reconsidered.
According to the spokesman of the British government, under the scheme, more than 24 thousand Afghan citizens have been settled in the UK, including women and human rights activists, scholars, journalists, judges and others.
