Ahmad Quraishi

I’m Ahmad Quraishi, founder and executive director of the Afghanistan

Journalists Center(AFJC). I’ve worked for press freedom in Afghanistan; one of the most dangerous countries for journalists for more than 17 years. In that capacity, I traveled around Afghanistan and visited countless newsrooms and interviewed hundreds of journalists under threat, held countless workshops, and authored a safety guideline for journalists and a security policy for media organizations. I launched Afghanistan Press Freedom Tracker and documented hundreds of press

freedom violations.

In 2014, with my initiative, AFJC named March 18th as Journalist's Day, and the government officially declared and included it in the national calendar. Since then, and as part of the initiative, AFJC recognizes top journalists with the Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award. I also initiated Afghanistan Press Freedom Tracker and helped produce detailed annual reports describing the deteriorating climate and

making specific recommendations and prodded the government and the international community to speak out and apply pressure when press freedom was violated. I worked closely with peer organizations in the press freedom community to reverse the alarming decline in press freedom in Afghanistan.

10 years ago, for the first time, I launched and led a nationwide campaign against impunity for crimes against journalists in Afghanistan, which paved the way for the establishment of a joint government and media committee.

A graduate of journalism and mass communication, I began my career as a reporter with a local radio in Herat province in Afghanistan in 2005, later joined the country’s leading news agency as a senior reporter and editor and also worked with some international media organizations as the country’s correspondent and analyst.

As a candidate for the IFEX Council, I bring a wealth of experience and a deep-seated passion for our cause. I am excited about the possibility of using this platform to further enhance the global advocacy for press freedom and the protection of journalists. I am committed to serving the IFEX network and would greatly appreciate your endorsement of my candidacy.