Jan 30, 2008

Another Journalist Who Was Receiving Death Threats

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Basir Ahang, 27 –year-old, is an independent young journalist who was directly involved in the release of Gabriele Torsello, the Italian journalist of La Repubblica, who was kidnapped by Taliban in Helmand province.

Mr. Basir was working on Torsello release under the supervision of Renato Caprile, antother La Journalist.
At one point Basir achieved confidential reports by contacting the Taliban authorities who detained Gabriele Torsello. He, thus, got to know the names of the kidnappers.

Basir kept receiving calls from the kidnappers which would inform him about the health status of Torsello. Basir never discovered how Gabriele Torsello was released.
However, after the release Basir started receiving unknown phone calls and finally left the country. After a short period he got back to Kabul. He started working with a local channel Radio "Farda" and at the same time he was working as freelance journalist with the weekly "Namah" and the La Repubblica.

Basir Ahang was also a prominent student of Kabul University, but he was harassed and intimidated by Taliban during his work with La Repubblica, while he was working hard to communicate and find information about Torsello's abduction.

Any information about him has stop to flow since a month, none knows where is he. On behalf of Afghan Association Blog Writers I express my concern about his safety.


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Nasim Fekrat
Afghan Association Blog Writers
info@afghanpenlog.com
http://afghanpenlog-en.blogspot.com/ {English}
http://www.afghanpenlog.com/ {Farsi}

Jan 28, 2008

How Cruel Are Human Beings

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I can’t remember the exact time but, it was around midnight, may be one o’clock. We were three people walking in darkness with a very harsh temperature. The cold wind slapping on our face with cruelty, we kept laughing and joking. A poor man police on the corner looked at us and thought we were drunken, but he didn’t know that we (a few friends) are always happy like that, especially me.

We kept walking towards the Pol-e Sorkh square; on the way I saw the sign of muddy body of a cat on the ground. I became very sad and silent for a while. I breathed the words in hushed tones; I felt sorry for the poor cat and said why human beings are so cruel? Why are we killing animals and why this cat was killed here?

How cruel are human beings. For a moment, I thought it is useless to think about it because when Afghans have been killing each others during the last three decades. I asked my friends how careless we are with animal’s life. The cat also has the right to live, to have freedom, to be able to walk freely and without fear. They should not be killed or mistreated.

If we can not give live to some one or something, why we should kill them? I feel sorry in my inside. Despite being so cruel, how can we call our self the noblest of all creatures?

Jan 8, 2008

Afghan Drug User

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Afghan addict inside destroyed building of Russian Cultural Place in Kabul.
The number of opium addicts in Kabul alone was more than 30,000 in estimation in 2004 but three years after, this number doubled. For the last years the most of the beggars were among people left from civil war, children, widows and homeless people but recently the drug users took the place. Opium users regularly have financial difficulties they are begging to streets; in many cases they are commit crime.

In Kabul, where the medical services are primitive, massively overstretched and entirely unprepared for dealing with addicts, the Nejat centre offers a unique, residential treatment program.

The problem of addiction exists in all layers of society. Both men and women are affected. Local residents and returning refugees from Iran and Pakistan use opium mainly to alleviate medical conditions such as tuberculosis, colds and asthma. It is also reported that young children receive opium as a painkiller. Some addicts recognize they are addicted and seek assistance; many others are thrown out by their families or communities, who regard drug addicts as morally degenerate

There are various ways to consume opium. In Kabul, the most common technique is to smoke it though a cigarette, a water pipe, or though a 'shekhi shang'. The latter method involves using a heated metal blade covered with opium. The resulting fumes are then inhaled through a tube. However, many users consume opium orally, or use it to make tea.
Opium users buying one gram heroin in about Afg 50-100 ($1-2USD) for only single day, they are also use injections.

For more please read here