Fleeing Afghan Journalists Finds Refuge in Mexico

Mexico received 124 media workers and their family members from Afghanistan, including New York Times journalists.

They arrived at Mexico City’s international airport early on Wednesday morning, where Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard waited to greet them.

Mexico was able to “cut through the red tape” to take in the media workers, unlike the United States, the Times said.

Mexico and Afghanistan are considered among the most dangerous countries for journalists. At least 141 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000, according to non-profit data. In July, Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed in Afghanistan after getting stuck in a Taliban-controlled area.

Journalists are often targeted for reporting on criminal gangs or corrupt officials. Journalists have been killed in Mexico and a German public broadcaster said to have killed one family member of a reporter working for Deutsche Welle.

Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last week as the U.S. and its allies withdrew troops after two decades and the Western-backed Afghan government and military collapsed.

The Taliban follow an ultra-hardline version of Sunni Islam. It has become more media-savvy since, using social media and promising to allow a free press.

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