Monday's celebrations of World Press Freedom Day in the Afghan capital ended with a scandal as a number of journalists and human rights activists accused the government of failing to provide security to media workers, local radio said.
The festivities took place in a luxury hotel in Kabul and involved representatives of the Afghan government, the United Nations and other international organizations, who congratulated Afghan journalists on their professional holiday and called for media workers to tell the truth to the people.
However, at the end of the celebrations, a number of journalists and human rights activists claimed that government bodies which must provide security to media workers have failed to effectively perform their duties.
They said five journalists had been killed in the country in 2009, while violence was used against 20 media workers, the Salam Vatandar radio station reported.
In January-April 2010, three foreign journalists were killed and two were abducted in the war-torn country, with more than 20 Afghan and foreign media workers affected by physical violence.
In a sign of protest against government's inaction, a group of journalists and human rights activists reportedly walked out of the hotel's hall.
KABUL, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
