Committee to Protect Journalists urges US to aid Afghans who worked with its forces
July 23, 2021, 4:19 am

Committee to Protect Journalists urges US to aid Afghans who worked with its forces

Journalists Committee Urges US Gov’t to Aid Afghans Who Worked With Its Forces

According to The Media Line, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has sent urgent letters to senior US government officials, including President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the majority and minority leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate, requesting that they provide emergency visas and humanitarian aid to Afghans who worked with US forces over the past 20 years.

The media outltet added, the United States and its NATO allies have pulled nearly all of their forces out of Afghanistan over the past few months.

The CPJ letters expressed fear that the resurgent Taliban could retake power in that country and retaliate against translators, journalists, contractors and others who worked with American forces.

“The need for action is urgent,” the letters say. “Afghans face grievous harm and death for having done nothing more than lending their labor and skills to make certain the world knew what was going on in their country.”

The Media Line said, over the past 20 years, 85 journalists have been killed in Afghanistan; five were killed in 2020 alone.

Some local journalists have gone into hiding over the past few months, while others have been forced to broadcast Taliban propaganda.

There are also reports of heavy-handed Taliban interference in news broadcasts. Last week, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was working for Reuters, was killed while covering violence between Afghan security forces and Taliban forces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Source: themedialine
Image source: themedialine

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”