The Associated Press, April 16, 2008
Assailants throw grenades at home of female Afghan journalist, no one hurt
"I have received threats on my mobile for two months, warning me not to work in this radio. I did not take these threats seriously," Ahadi said.
KABUL - Assailants hurled grenades at the home of a female radio reporter whose station was critical of the government, officials said Wednesday. No one was hurt.
June 6, 2007: Zaki Zaki, manager of Peace Radio in Afghanistan, was gunned down in her house in northern Parwan province.
Khadija Ahadi, the 30-year-old director of Faryat radio station in the western city of Herat, was targeted on April 6 and again on Sunday, said Rahimullah Samandar, head of the Afghan Independent Journalists Association.
He said no one was wounded in the attacks, which caused damage to her house.
"I have received threats on my mobile for two months, warning me not to work in this radio. I did not take these threats seriously," Ahadi said.
A stun grenade was hurled at her house on April 6, causing no damage. On Sunday, attackers lobbed a grenade at her house, smashing the windows. Ahadi, her husband and three children have fled to Kabul.
"Our radio focuses on politics, criticizes the government, and most of our programming is live," she said. The station employs 15 people, including five women.
June 1, 2007: Shokiba Sanga Amaaj, a newscaster for private Shamdhad TV was killed in Kabul.
Rauf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the regional police in the west, confirmed the attacks, but said it was because of "private hostility." He did not elaborate.
The Afghan media have flourished since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, but journalists often face threats for airing critical stories, playing music or employing women.
Last year gunmen assassinated Zakia Zaki, the female owner of a radio station. She had apparently criticized local warlords who warned her to change her station's programming.
Shaima Rezayee, a popular host for an MTV-style music show, was shot dead in 2005 after clerics criticized her show as "anti-Islamic."
Characters Count: 2519