Journalists in peril

Since 2021, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has continued to make dire headlines around the world. From the loss of aid support for Afghans and the increasing number of public space bans for women to the complete halt of a number of professions, including, and perhaps at the top of the red list, journalism.

The 2021 evacuations were successful in safeguarding hundreds of journalists working with Western media organisations. However, many were left behind. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Afghans are the third-largest group of displaced people in the world, with more than eight million living outside Afghan borders. The rhythm of prohibitions and radical policies put in place by the Taliban continues to exacerbate the uncertainty and imminent danger faced by their nationals.

Global news outlets trusted and relied on the audacious work of Afghan journalists on the ground. For those journalists and their families, every day presented life-threatening risks amid the menacing environment that the Taliban have propagated in the last years. The UK Displaced Journalists Initiative, launched in July 2023 by Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) and Doughty Street Chambers, aims to help eight Afghan journalists and their families. These individuals are currently in exile in third countries or hiding in Afghanistan to avoid being caught by those in power. The foremost purpose of the initiative is to find safety for these individuals outside Afghanistan through the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot.

The pilot was developed by TBB, a non-profit organisation working to connect employers looking to hire displaced talent, along with the global immigration law firm Fragomen and the government of the UK. The pilot was launched in 2021 and aims to make the skilled worker visa accessible to skilled refugees. The pilot enables employers in the UK to hire internationally and access an untapped talent pool of refugees and individuals from displaced backgrounds, providing a solution for employers who are facing a skills shortage. For candidates to be eligible, they must be screened by TBB and have a job offer from an employer. As of August 2023, the pilot has provided safe and legal migration pathways for more than 500 individuals, including primary candidates as well as their direct family members (typically, spouses and children).

The London-based Doughty Street Chambers is representing and working on behalf of eight eminent Afghan former BBC World Service journalists. As a result of their extensive work and their high profile, they are seeking relocation to safety. These eight individuals are backed by their professional credentials and years, if not decades, of experience working with UK organisations and their activism around freedom of speech in Afghanistan.

These eight highly trained journalists have ample expertise in reporting and producing, as editors, presenters, authors and academics. It is precisely because of their anti-Taliban work and collaboration with international journalism networks that their lives are now in danger. The initiative appeals to any media-related organisation in a position to hire skilled journalists to support these individuals by giving them a second chance to rebuild their lives with safety and dignity.

Fellow journalistic non-profits, organisations and other media outlets have sympathised with their appeal and supported them by disseminating and bringing awareness to their particular cases, including wide coverage in English-language media about the grim circumstances that they are currently facing. Nonetheless, they are still in Afghanistan and are in urgent need of relocation.

Holly Asquith