Ahmad Quraishi, Founder and Executive Director, Afghanistan Journalists Centre (AFJC): Ahmad Quraishi is the founder and executive director of the Afghanistan Journalists Centre (AFJC), a non-governmental and non-profit organization that defends and promotes press freedom in Afghanistan, founded in 2009. Ahmad began his media career as a reporter in 2004 at a local radio station in Herat province and a year later joined Pajhwok, Afghanistan’s leading news agency as a senior reporter and editor. He served as Afghanistan’s ambassador at the Centre for International Media Ethics and works as a member of the board of directors at the Afghanistan Media and Journalists Federation, a national umbrella organization for media and journalists in the country. Mr Quraishi has stood as a vocal supporter of press freedom in Afghanistan and has dedicated his life to defending and promoting freedom of expression in Afghanistan, a country labelled as one of the most dangerous for journalists in the world. He has been an active player in international campaigns and advocacy efforts as well. In 2019, Ahmad was received the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign’s international press freedom award in honor of his long career in defense of press freedom in Afghanistan.