Afghanistan Government Calls on Media Not To Report Violence on Election Day

The Afghan government has decided that the next best thing to having a violence free election day is to have a day without any reported violence. The government has told the media not to carry reports of violence on election day — fearing that citizens may be reluctant to vote if they are informed that people are being killed in their areas. Some reporters have already refused the abusive order, here.

Afghan leaders may be learning from the Obama Administration’s approach to abuse pictures — if you do not allow people to see the abuse, they are less upset about it.

The Foreign Ministry threw the concept of a free press out the window by announcing that media organizations would be expected to avoid “broadcasting any incidence of violence” between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on election day “to ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people.”

It is an absurd policy that, once again, shows the lack of appreciation for basic liberties in the country.

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