RASC News Agency: In a gesture rich with symbolism, timed deliberately to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, a group of exiled Afghanistani journalists together with their French colleagues have launched Abajad Media, a new digital media platform based in France. The outlet, which publishes in both Persian and French, aspires to fill a crucial gap in coverage surrounding migrant and asylum-seeker issues, offering a platform where silenced voices can be heard. In a founding statement released by the team behind the initiative, Abajad Media outlined its editorial mission: to focus on migrant integration, promote intercultural dialogue, and amplify the concerns of women and minority groups. The platform seeks not only to chronicle the lived experiences of displaced people but also to serve as a conduit between refugee communities and the institutions of civil society in their host country.
According to publicly available information, Abajad Media operates under the wider umbrella of Abajad Global, a France-based organization that provides legal consultation, language training, and social support to migrants. This broader structure allows the media initiative to build upon an established framework of advocacy and direct service, grounding its journalism in community-based realities. The idea for Abajad jad Media was conceived in response to the sweeping crises of recent years particularly the fall of Kabul in 2021 an event that triggered an exodus of Afghanistani journalists and the emergence of numerous diaspora-led media outlets around the globe. While many of these ventures were launched with urgency and conviction, they have often struggled to survive amid chronic underfunding, limited international support, and persistent threats to the security of their staff.
Nevertheless, Afghanistani journalists in exile have played a vital role in resisting the Taliban’s severe clampdown on independent journalism. Despite the challenges of displacement, they have continued to illuminate the realities on the ground and uphold the principles of press freedom, refusing to allow censorship and fear to silence the stories that must be told. With the launch of Abajad Media, a new chapter begins one that promises a dynamic, independent, and enduring voice for migrant communities. In a media landscape that often overlooks the nuances of forced displacement, Abajad Media offers not only representation but also resistance: a bold attempt to humanize migration, confront prejudice, and reassert the essential role of journalism in times of crisis and exile.
