Reprisals against journalists in northwestern Buner valley

Reporters Without Borders joins the Khyber Union of Journalists in condemning the ransacking and destruction of a leading TV reporter’s house in the northwestern Buner valley by Taliban fighters on 7 July. The house belonged to Behroz Khan, who works for Geo TV in Peshawar. “The militants looted the house, spent several nights in it and finally torched it on 7 July,” Behroz told Reporters Without Borders today. At a joint press conference yesterday, Khyber Union of Journalists president Mohammad Riaz and Peshawar Press Club president Shamim Shahid urged the government to protect journalists from Taliban attacks. “The authorities must take measure to protect journalists, so that they can have confidence in the Pakistani government again, Riaz said. After two months of fierce fighting between the army and the Taliban, the plight of journalists continues to worsen in the Buner valley, where they are being targeted by both sides. A few days before Khan’s house was torched by the Taliban, the army deliberately set fire to a forest he owns, claiming the Taliban were using it as a refuge. Its destruction represents a major financial loss for the reporter. The Buner valley home of radio journalist Rehman Buneri was also destroyed last week by masked gunmen identifying themselves as Taliban. ------------- 12 juillet 2009:Taliban blow up journalist’s home in Buner valley Reporters Without Borders is extremely worried by Taliban reprisals against journalists in the northwestern Buner valley, where about 60 masked gunmen identifying themselves as Taliban blew up the home of radio journalist Rehman Buneri in the village of Poland on 9 July, three days after he made allegedly “anti-Taliban” comments on the air. “This Taliban attack was cowardly and unacceptable,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We urge Taliban fighters to stop taking reprisals against journalists, who are often the victims of physical attacks and intimidation. We also ask the Pakistani government to guarantee the safety of journalists by reaffirming its military presence in the region.” The gunmen told Buneri’s father: “We have orders to blow up the house because of your son’s criticism of the Taliban.” Based in Karachi, Buneri works for Voice of America’s Pashto-language Deeva Radio. He is also privately-owned Khyber TV’s Karachi bureau chief. “My father said the Taliban arrived at about 2 a.m.,” Buneri told Reporters Without Borders. “They began by reading out loud the charges against me. Then they evacuated all of the members of my family and put explosives around the house.” He added that he had previously received threatening phone calls from an unknown number. The village of Poland is just 15 km from an army-controlled area. The incident took place just a few hours before the government announced that the Taliban had been ousted from the Buner valley and the nearby Swat valley and that the displaced population could begin returning on 13 July.