Afghanistan

The main driver for assassinations in Afghanistan was political, which partially explains the fact that the majority of victims belonged to the politics and governance category. However, killings of journalists and members of the local community, including activists, non-governmental organizations workers, doctors and community leaders were often politically motivated and attributed to groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban. Media workers, in particular, were attacked mostly towards the second half of 2020, amidst peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan state.