Afghan media, rights groups want probe into reporter’s death
14 September, 2009
KABUL: Afghan media and human rights organisations on Sunday called for an investigation into the death of a colleague who was killed during a commando raid that rescued a Western journalist unharmed.
Sultan Munadi and Stephen Farrell, both working for the New York Times, were snatched by Taliban rebels in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province earlier this month while investigating suspected civilian deaths in a NATO airstrike. A dramatic airborne commando raid on Wednesday saw British-Irish citizen Farrell whisked to safety but Munadi was killed in the crossfire, his bullet-riddled body left at the scene for his parents to collect.
“We urgently demand the president ... conduct serious and thorough investigations to identify the perpetrators of this inhuman act,” a joint statement from Afghan media unions and human rights groups said. “Sultan Munadi was cruelly murdered while Stephen Farrell survived and was saved without suffering any harm. Sultan’s body was still lying on the ground when news of his martyrdom was being made public,” it added.
It raised concern about the role of British forces in the operation, after reports that negotiations were under way to free the pair at the time of the raid, which also killed a British soldier and two Afghan civilians. They also demanded the government bring “the perpetrators of the crime to justice”, and compensate Munadi’s family for his death. It is unclear whether Munadi – 34 years old, married with two children – was killed by shots fired by insurgents or the NATO forces.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has already rebuffed calls for an inquiry into the decision to order the raid, insisting it was the only way to secure the release of the men. Miliband has said Farrell had ignored “very strong” advice not to travel to Kunduz, which in recent months has increasingly come under the influence of the Taliban.
Munadi’s brother Muhammad Osman has told AFP he believed the operation was unnecessary and Munadi’s death avoidable. The New York Times has also defended itself against allegations that reckless pursuit of news by Farrell caused the kidnapping. But this has done little to quell the outrage in Afghanistan, where people see the incident as yet another indication that a foreign life is valued over that of an Afghan.
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