Mullah Mohammad Omar
c/o Mr. Abdul Hakim Mujahid
Ambassador
Embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afganistan
Islamabad
Pakistan
Vienna, 11 September 1998
The International Press Institute (IPI) strongly condemns the reported killing of Mahmoud Saremi, a correspondent for the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, who was abducted by the Taleban militia forces on 8 August.
The Taleban movement announced on Friday, 11 September, that the 10 Iranian diplomats and one journalist, who were abducted in Mazar-i-Sharif when Taleban forces took control of the northern Afghan city last month, were killed by its fighters, “acting on their own,” and that it was ready to hand the bodies over to Tehran.
IPI, the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies, urges that those responsible for this heinous crime are brought to justice. We further urge that the authorities in Afghanistan ensure that journalists working in this country are able to exercise their profession safely.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director