Support Etilaat Roz
The general perception of international efforts to reconstruct Afghanistan is dominated by the yet-continuing war, but just as important over the past sixteen years have been the efforts to reconstruct a country and civil society out of the ruins of civil conflict, and to build institutions of democratic and accountable governance. A critical element of that process is a free press to keep the government accountable and the public informed.
Afghanistan’s Etilaat Roz Daily has stood the test of time to be that beacon of hope in the Afghan print media. For five years, despite plummeting resources, mounting threats and draining hopes, this resilient newspaper has refused to give up. With a team of only ten people and a tiny budget, the newspaper punches far above its weight to hold the authorities to account in a country w corruption is pervasive and critical voices are increasingly falling silent.
This year, the paper undertook several large investigations into cases of corruption, three of which sparked widespread public discussion and prompted government reaction. One of them gathered a long list of diplomats and senior government officials along with their family connections to show the breadth and depth of patronage politics in the country. Another exposed a government deal that sold massive plots of public land to a private conglomerate at a price at least 90% lower than its market value—the parliament had to step in and block the sale. The most recent report released a memo written by a senior employee in the president’s office via a private Telegram channel in which he encouraged a small group of trusted colleagues to promote one ethnic community at the expense of others. After public outrage, the official resigned and the President ordered his Attorney General to undertake a thorough investigation.
These remarkable journalistic scoops attracted wide attention, including from the international media: both the New York Times [Afghan Newspaper Hunts Corruption, but First It Has to Pay the Rent] and the Guardian [Rattling Afghanistan's powerful: Etilaat Roz newspaper exposes corruption ] wrote stories about the paper. The features, however, also brought another aspect of Etilaat Roz to public attention, its financial struggles. On any given day, the paper’s founder, Zaki Daryabi, and its Editor in Chief, Khalil Pajhwak, have to constantly worry about the quality of their reports and the cost associated with producing them. As impressive a job as it does in the midst of declining optimism, Etilaat Roz cannot sustain its operation with ever shrinking financial resources.
A group of Etilaat Roz’s friends, Afghans and internationals, who believe in the work of the paper and its immense importance in the task of fostering democratic values and good practice, have initiated this fundraising programme, inspired by countless messages from those willing to support its work. This initiative is in direct coordination with and has the full approval of Etilaat Roz.
Your donations will be used to keep Etilaat Roz and its brave and dedicated team of journalists continue to serve the people of Afghanistan with an ever greater determination.
Read Etilaat Roz’s statement here
#SaveEtilaatRoz
