A photo of the late Fahim Dashty at the opening ceremony of the Fahim Dashty foundation in Toronto on Sept. 4.Dustin Cook/Supplied
The family of a prominent Afghan journalist killed in conflict with the Taliban are working to carry on his legacy by continuing the fight for free speech from their new home in Canada.
Fahim Dashty was killed a year ago in Panjshir province while serving as the spokesperson for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan against the Taliban. He has been credited as a main voice in the fight for free speech and media in Afghanistan and served as leader of the country’s National Journalists’ Union.
About 100 people gathered Sunday at the University of Toronto’s Innis College to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his death and the launch of an organization to continue his efforts.
Mr. Dashty’s family launched a foundation in his name with the goal of providing support to journalists and families in need in Afghanistan and other conflict zones. His 19-year-old daughter Marwa Dashti said the foundation is intended to first support journalists in Afghanistan working to cover the Taliban government by helping them get out of the country.
“We cannot accept someone’s tyranny. Everyone in Afghanistan wants freedom and when people come together, we can get that freedom,” she said in an interview. “My dad, protecting his people was important to him, freedom of speech all around the world was important to him.”
It’s currently a dangerous situation in Afghanistan for those vocally opposed to the Taliban rule, Ms. Dashti said, with those in opposition living in fear of punishment.
Still in its early stages, Ms. Dashti said the foundation is looking for funding from companies and organizations in order to pursue initiatives to support journalists with monetary donations, security and accommodations.
When the Taliban launched their offensive attacks last summer, Ms. Dashti said her family was on the move and eventually relocated to Pakistan. But her father decided to stay behind on the front lines and provided information through social media on the conflict. Less than a month later, his family found out about his death through social media.
In what ended up being his final media interview last September, Mr. Dashty said he would continue to fight for freedom of the press and democracy, no matter the consequences. He was previously offered a position with the Taliban but declined.
“If we all are killed in the resistance, this is a winning situation for us because history will write about us, that there are people who stood for their nation and for their country until the end of the line,” he said at the time.
After Mr. Dashty’s death, the family was able to move to Canada in March with the goal of keeping his voice alive. Ms. Dashti wants to become a journalist like her father and hopes to attend Stanford University. Her two brothers are keen to study political science or law and continue to advocate for the voiceless.
“I honestly hope that he’d be proud. We’re just trying our best, that’s our life goal, to make him proud because he was such a great man,” she said.
Mr. Dashty’s wife, Sayara, will serve as chair of the foundation with the hope of one day being able to go back to Afghanistan and reinstating the rights to free speech for which her husband fought for so long. Ms. Dashti said her mother is proud of her three children fighting to carry on the legacy of their father.
“The ray of hope she sees is we are able to study and follow in my dad’s footsteps better than we could have if we were in Afghanistan right now,” she said. “We’re just trying to follow his path. It’s everything he fought for in a new way.”
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