Afghanistan calls for media blackout on polling day
Related News  Deadly attacks rock Kabul pre-vote  Afghans to vote under threat of violence  Mass rallies on last campaign day for Afghan poll KABUL - The Afghan government Tuesday appealed for a local and international media blackout on reporting extremist attacks during this week's elections in a bid to maximise voter turnout.
"All domestic and international media agencies are requested to refrain from broadcasting any incident of violence during the election process from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm on 20 August," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The country's national security council made the request "in view of the need to ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people... and prevent any election-related terroristic violence," it said.
But despite fears of insurgent attacks, the move earned criticism from Human Rights Watch, which accused the government of an attempt at censorship.
Taliban insurgents have escalated threats to derail the elections, warning people not to vote and thereby make themselves a victim of attacks.
A suicide attack targeting a NATO convoy in the capital Kabul on Tuesday killed ten people including two UN staffers and a NATO soldier. More than 50 Afghans were wounded, officials said.
There are fears that poor turnout, because of insecurity, could call into question the legitimacy of the polls.
There are around 300,000 Afghan and foreign forces in Afghanistan mobilised in a bid to secure voting.
Dozens of extra foreign journalists have poured into the country in order to help cover the elections, which mark the second time in history that Afghans will elect a president.
Governments "have a right to place reasonable restrictions on the media on election day," said Human Rights Watch's Afghanistan researcher Rachel Reid.
However, "an attempt to censor the reporting of violence is an unreasonable violation of press freedoms," she said in a statement.
"The media has a job to do and a responsibility to report accurately what takes place on polling day," she said, adding that Afghans had a right to know about the security threats that they face.
- AFP /ls
Archivo:Hamid Karzai 2006-09-26.jpg|thumb|250px|Mañana, el presidente afgano Hamid Karzai, va por la reelección. 
 El Ministerio de Exteriores afgano emitió un comunicado mediante el cual
"solicita a todas las agencias de noticias, nacionales e internacionales, abstenerse de difundir cualquier incidente de violencia durante el proceso electoral"

Dicha solicitud para la abstención de publicar noticias sobre cualquier atentado fue prevista que dure desde las 6.00 hasta las 20:00 horas locales (1.30 y 15.30 GMT). El Ministerio expresó que esta restricción es a los efectos de garantizar una alta participación en las elecciones y evitar la violencia terrorista durante el mismo.

La seguridad de la elección comprende la participación de cerca de 300.000 efectivos, entre fuerzas afganas y extranjeras.

Mañana Afgnaistán elige presidente por segunda vez desde que cayó el régimen de los talibanes. Se presentan 41 candidatos a presidente, entre los cuales el presidente afgano, Hamid Karzai , encabeza las encuestas y se prevee una segunda vuelta con Abdulá Abdulá, ex Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores. De los restantes canidatos, se sabe que algunos apoyarán a Karzai.