The twelfth edition of the “Afghanistan Journalist of the Year” awards ceremony was held by the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. In this event, five Afghan journalists were recognized as “Journalists of the Year” for producing outstanding and professional reports.

Ahmad Quraishi, Executive Director of the Afghanistan Journalists Center, said in his speech that the competition for selecting the Journalist of the Year is launched annually about two months before Afghanistan’s National Journalists’ Day, and journalists or media organizations can submit their work for evaluation. He added that over the past eleven years, 22 journalists (16 men and 6 women) have received this honor.

The event was attended by a number of Afghan journalists living in Europe, representatives of international organizations, and media activists. The speakers emphasized the challenges facing media freedom and the urgent need to support Afghan journalists. Notable speakers included Nazifullah Salarzai, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the EU and Belgium; Robert Chatterton Dickson, the UK Embassy’s representative for Afghanistan; Pamela Morinière from the International Federation of Journalists; Toby Mendel, Executive Director of the Centre for Law and Democracy; and Lotfullah Najafizada, founder of Amu TV.

Somaya Walizada, a member of the jury, announced the five selected journalists:

  • Nasrin Saeedi (Radio Sarhad, Ghor)

  • Azizullah Wahdat (Tamaddon TV, Mazar-e-Sharif)

  • Mohammad Yousuf Mangal (Pajhwok News Agency, Khost)

  • Ehsanullah Karimi (Freelance journalist, Kabul)

  • Ramin Mazhar (Afghanistan International Network)

The “Afghanistan Journalist of the Year” awards are usually presented annually on 27 Hoot (March 17) to coincide with the country’s National Journalists’ Day. However, this year’s ceremony was delayed due to the observance of Ramadan. The award aims to honor the courageous efforts of Afghan journalists working under challenging circumstances.