Consultative meeting of the State Ministry for Peace with freedom of speech activists and media representatives

A consultative meeting of the General Directorate of Strategic Communications of the State Ministry for Peace was held with some local media officials, peace reporters and filmmakers from the center and provinces. The meeting, which was held in the Hall of the State Ministry for Peace, was called to get their opinions and views on the protection of the value of freedom of speech.

In the beginning, Najia Anwari, General Director of Strategic Communications at the State Ministry for Peace, spoke about the Ministry's process of consulting on peace and establishing a lasting relationship with the various strata on this matter. She said the media community has made many sacrifices in recent years to gain and preserve freedom of speech; Therefore, to maintain this important value, the media now need to focus on how to protect freedom of speech as one of the fundamental pillars of a democratic society, and to share their views and opinions in this regard.

Stating that the role of media in the peace process is important and fundamental, the Director of Information Department of the State Ministry for Peace, Sayed Hassan Alemi said that the Ministry will hold a series of consultative meetings with freedom of speech activists and media representatives. This will allow the opportunity to present their views and suggestions on freedom of speech and media activity in a coherent manner in the peace negotiations.

The participants shared their views, suggestions and demands for the protection of freedom of speech in the peace process. They stressed the need to preserve freedom of speech as one of the national achievements and called on the State Ministry for Peace to keep the issue of freedom of speech and the media activities as a priority in the peace negotiations agenda. 

They saw the media as a good platform for peace and said that information needed to be shared with the media at all stages of the peace process. Participants also called for media cohesion so that the media have a united voice. 
Freedom of speech activists also called for a strong and unified stance by the media organizations, the government and all agencies involved in peace.

Continuation of consultative meetings with freedom of speech activists, strengthening coordination between peace institutions to respond to the media, regular and lasting access to information from the peace negotiations, and establishing a clear mechanism and policy to liaise with freedom of speech activists were among the issues raised and emphasized by the participants.

Concerned about the future of Afghan cinema after the peace negotiations, the filmmakers said they feared that the peace negotiations would damage the country's cinema industry. They said that during the negotiations, it must be ensured that the images, voices and narratives of the Afghan people, which are reflected through film and photography, should not be interrupted.

At the end of the meeting, Najia Anwari, General Director of Strategic Communications at the State Ministry for Peace, stressed the need to continue consultative meetings and said that all the issues which were discussed in this meeting will be shared with high-ranking officials.

Ms. Anwari also said that the creation of a single position is one of the goals of the government's advisory meetings on peace with various segments of society.