Committee to Protect Journalists tag:cpj.org,2008-08-18:/reports//15 2013-05-23T10:05:05Z Movable Type 4.38 Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21471 2013-05-23T04:01:29Z 2013-05-23T10:05:05Z Pakistan's Endangered Press And the Perilous Web of Militancy, Security, and Politics More than 20 journalists have been murdered in reprisal for their work in Pakistan over the past decade. Not one case has been solved, not a single conviction won. This perfect record of impunity has fostered an... Committee to Protect Journalists Pakistan's Endangered Press
And the Perilous Web of Militancy, Security, and Politics

More than 20 journalists have been murdered in reprisal for their work in Pakistan over the past decade. Not one case has been solved, not a single conviction won. This perfect record of impunity has fostered an ever-more violent climate for journalists. Fatalities have jumped in the past five years, and today, Pakistan ranks among the world’s deadliest nations for the press. The targeted killings of two journalists—Wali Khan Babar in Karachi and Mukarram Khan Aatif in the tribal areas—illustrate the culture of manipulation, intimidation, and retribution that has led to this killing spree. A CPJ special report by Elizabeth Rubin



]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21464 2013-05-23T04:01:27Z 2013-05-13T19:05:55Z About This Report This report was written by Elizabeth Rubin, an independent journalist who has covered Pakistan and South Asia for numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine. She has reported from conflict zones around the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans. The Committee to Protect Journalists... Committee to Protect Journalists About This Report

This report was written by Elizabeth Rubin, an independent journalist who has covered Pakistan and South Asia for numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine. She has reported from conflict zones around the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans. The Committee to Protect Journalists commissioned Rubin to conduct this independent investigation into the dangerous conditions facing members of the news media in Pakistan.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21466 2013-05-23T04:01:25Z 2013-05-22T13:20:42Z Introduction By Bob Dietz At least 42 journalists have been killed—23 of them murdered—in direct relation to their work in Pakistan in the past decade, CPJ research shows. Not one murder since 2003 has been solved, not a single conviction won. Despite repeated demands from Pakistani and international journalist... Committee to Protect Journalists Introduction

By Bob Dietz

At least 42 journalists have been killed—23 of them murdered—in direct relation to their work in Pakistan in the past decade, CPJ research shows. Not one murder since 2003 has been solved, not a single conviction won. Despite repeated demands from Pakistani and international journalist organizations, not one of these crimes has even been put to a credible trial.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21463 2013-05-23T04:01:21Z 2013-05-22T13:43:47Z 1. The Murder of Wali Khan Babar On January 13, 2011, Wali Khan Babar, a 28-year-old correspondent for Geo TV, was driving home after covering another day of gang violence in Karachi. Babar was an unusual face on the airwaves: Popular and handsome, he was a Pashtun from Zhob... Committee to Protect Journalists 1. The Murder of Wali Khan Babar

On January 13, 2011, Wali Khan Babar, a 28-year-old correspondent for Geo TV, was driving home after covering another day of gang violence in Karachi. Babar was an unusual face on the airwaves: Popular and handsome, he was a Pashtun from Zhob in Baluchistan near the border with Afghanistan. For Geo, it was a rare boon to have a Pashtun in Karachi, and so the station planned to send him abroad for training to become an anchor.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21465 2013-05-23T04:01:19Z 2013-05-22T13:44:21Z Committee to Protect Journalists Sidebar: Verbatim: Threats, Promises, and Fears

“No half-hearted police measures or words of consolation from the highest offices in the land will suffice in the aftermath of the brutal treatment meted out to journalist Umar Cheema of The News.”

—Editorial in the newspaper Dawn condemning the September 2010 abduction and beating of Cheema. Intelligence agents were suspected in the attack. No arrests were made.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21462 2013-05-23T04:01:17Z 2013-05-23T00:35:28Z 2. A Death in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa On the evening of January 17, 2012, a year and four days after Geo TV reporter Wali Khan Babar was gunned down on a busy street in Karachi, Mukarram Khan Aatif, a senior journalist in the tribal region of Pakistan, was offering evening... Committee to Protect Journalists 2. A Death in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

On the evening of January 17, 2012, a year and four days after Geo TV reporter Wali Khan Babar was gunned down on a busy street in Karachi, Mukarram Khan Aatif, a senior journalist in the tribal region of Pakistan, was offering evening prayers at a mosque near his home in Shabqadar. Two men approached and fired three times, shooting him in the chest and head. One of the bullets passed through Aatif and injured the imam as well. Aatif was pronounced dead at the hospital that night.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21470 2013-05-23T04:01:15Z 2013-05-22T13:47:15Z Sidebar: For VOA Reporters, a Difficult Balance The Taliban’s claim that they murdered Voice of America reporter Mukarram Khan Aatif because he failed to present their perspective in his stories was deeply troubling—if not terrifying—to the local reporters of the U.S. government-funded news agency.... Committee to Protect Journalists Sidebar: For VOA Reporters, a Difficult Balance

The Taliban’s claim that they murdered Voice of America reporter Mukarram Khan Aatif because he failed to present their perspective in his stories was deeply troubling—if not terrifying—to the local reporters of the U.S. government-funded news agency.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21461 2013-05-23T04:01:13Z 2013-05-23T00:37:34Z 3. Intimidation, Manipulation, and Retribution A couple of years ago, Hamid Mir, Najam Sethi, Umar Cheema, and other prominent figures in the news media began going public with the threats they were receiving from intelligence agencies. It was a risky calculation, but the silence, they reasoned, encouraged intimidation and... Committee to Protect Journalists 3. Intimidation, Manipulation, and Retribution

A couple of years ago, Hamid Mir, Najam Sethi, Umar Cheema, and other prominent figures in the news media began going public with the threats they were receiving from intelligence agencies. It was a risky calculation, but the silence, they reasoned, encouraged intimidation and allowed impunity to persist.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21468 2013-05-23T04:01:11Z 2013-05-22T13:50:11Z Committee to Protect Journalists Sidebar: ‘In case something happens to me’

Seven months before his murder, Asia Times Online reporter Saleem Shahzad was summoned to a meeting with Rear Adm. Adnan Nazir, director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate’s media wing. During the October 17, 2010, meeting, Shahzad said, he was pressured to retract a story the agency considered embarrassing and urged to disclose his sources for the piece.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21469 2013-05-23T04:01:09Z 2013-05-22T13:52:00Z Conclusion The murder of Saleem Shahzad in May 2011 galvanized journalists across Pakistan in a way that few other events have. For a short time their power as a “union” was felt. They secured a commission of inquiry. They named ISI officers who had threatened Shahzad and many other... Committee to Protect Journalists Conclusion

The murder of Saleem Shahzad in May 2011 galvanized journalists across Pakistan in a way that few other events have. For a short time their power as a “union” was felt. They secured a commission of inquiry. They named ISI officers who had threatened Shahzad and many other journalists. They detailed those encounters in a public record available on the Internet. The resulting report offers a series of promising recommendations, saying in part:

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21460 2013-05-23T04:01:07Z 2013-05-22T13:53:04Z Recommendations The Committee to Protect Journalists offers the following recommendations to Pakistani authorities, the Pakistani news media, and the international community.... Committee to Protect Journalists Recommendations

The Committee to Protect Journalists offers the following recommendations to Pakistani authorities, the Pakistani news media, and the international community.

]]> Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21472 2013-05-23T04:01:05Z 2013-05-22T14:04:42Z Appendix Journalists Killed 2003-2012: Motive Confirmed CPJ research has determined that 42 journalists were killed in Pakistan in direct relation to their work from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2012. An additional 12 journalists were killed in unclear circumstances during the time period. Capsule reports on each death... Committee to Protect Journalists Appendix

Journalists Killed 2003-2012: Motive Confirmed

CPJ research has determined that 42 journalists were killed in Pakistan in direct relation to their work from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2012. An additional 12 journalists were killed in unclear circumstances during the time period. Capsule reports on each death follow, beginning with cases in which CPJ has confirmed a work-related motive.


]]> Video: Roots of Impunity tag:cpj.org,2013:/reports//15.21643 2013-05-23T04:00:01Z 2013-05-23T00:41:40Z The unsolved murders of three Pakistani journalists reflect a government that is not guaranteeing the rule of law or fundamental human rights. CPJ's Bob Dietz narrates. Animation by Dave Mayers and production by Dana Chivvis Read our accompanying special report, "Roots of Impunity," which examines the culture of anti-press... Committee to Protect Journalists

The unsolved murders of three Pakistani journalists reflect a government that is not guaranteeing the rule of law or fundamental human rights. CPJ's Bob Dietz narrates. Animation by Dave Mayers and production by Dana Chivvis

Read our accompanying special report, "Roots of Impunity," which examines the culture of anti-press violence in Pakistan.

]]> As impunity reigns, Pakistani press threatened from all sides tag:cpj.org,2013://1.21783 2013-05-22T22:35:48Z 2013-05-23T03:37:02Z Committee to Protect Journalists New York, May 23, 2013--With the release of a new report on widespread impunity, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the incoming government of Pakistan to urgently address the issue of violence against the press by bringing perpetrators of past crimes to justice. 

"Pakistan has one of the world's worst records of prosecuting anti-press violence, with authorities failing to convict a single suspect in 23 journalist murders over the past decade," said CPJ Asia program coordinator, Bob Dietz. "The situation is dire as journalists are targeted not only by militants, criminals, and warlords, but also by political, military, and intelligence operatives. These threats have gone completely unpunished over the past decade and have made the country one of the deadliest in the world for the press."

]]> Press must be able to work freely in South Sudan tag:cpj.org,2013://1.21775 2013-05-22T15:15:56Z 2013-05-22T15:38:27Z Dear President Salva Kiir Mayardit: We are writing to express our deep concern about the deteriorating state of press freedom in your country. In the past six months, CPJ has documented several cases of attacks, intimidation, and detention of journalists by security agents in South Sudan and we are concerned that this harassment has led to self-censorship and even exile among the local press corps. We urge you to use the power of your office to ensure that journalists are allowed to work freely without harassment and censure from state security officials. Committee to Protect Journalists May 22, 2013

His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit
Office of the President, State House
Juba, South Sudan
Via email

Dear President Salva Kiir Mayardit,

We are writing to express our deep concern about the deteriorating state of press freedom in your country. In the past six months, CPJ has documented several cases of attacks, intimidation, and detention of journalists by security agents in South Sudan and we are concerned that this harassment has led to self-censorship and even exile among the local press corps. We urge you to use the power of your office to ensure that journalists are allowed to work freely without harassment and censure from state security officials.

In the past six months, CPJ has documented at least 12 cases of attacks, harassment, and detention of journalists in South Sudan. In all but two of the cases, security officials were the perpetrators. Security agents, including police, have routinely harassed, intimidated, and occasionally detained journalists.

The latest episode occurred on May 2, when Deputy Interior Minister Salva Mathok Gengdit ordered the unlawful detention of the chief and managing editors of the private daily Juba Monitor for publishing a statement that implicated him in the March murder of a traffic policeman, according to news reports. Gengdit denied the allegations, according to news reports. In early April, security agents arbitrarily detained and threatened a Miraya FM journalist in Malakal, and in January, security officials arrested seven journalists in an apparent attempt to stifle reporting on a violent crackdown on protesters in the city of Wau.

Local journalists have told CPJ that this official intimidation has caused them to censor themselves and, in some cases, even flee the country. In December 2012 and January 2013, two outspoken columnists, Zehariah Manyok and John Penn de Ngong, went into exile after receiving anonymous threats, according to news reports and CPJ research.

Mr. President, official threats and attacks against the press violate Article 24 of South Sudan's transitional constitution, which stipulates that "all levels of government shall guarantee the freedom of the press."

While it is encouraging that the Media Authority Bill, which was designed to provide the press with an independent regulator, was signed into law this week, the state must also address security concerns of journalists in South Sudan. In your New Year's address, you expressed concern about the cases of harassment, abuse, and arbitrary detention of members of the public who are critical of the government. In your statement, you called such actions "unacceptable" and disrespectful to those who fought for South Sudan's independence.

We urge you to ensure that security agents who continue to intimidate and censor the South Sudanese press face consequences up to and including criminal prosecution. Such a firm response to these violations will restore confidence among the local media and ensure that the freedoms for which your government fought will be upheld.

Sincerely,

Joel Simon
Executive Director


CC List:

H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan

H.E. Riek Machar, Vice-President of the Republic of South Sudan

Barnaba Marial, Minister of Information of South Sudan

General Alison Manani Magaya, Minister of Interior of South Sudan

Atem Yak Atem, Deputy Minister of Information of South Sudan

Hanne-Marie Kaarstad, Norway Ambassador to South Sudan

Susan D. Page, U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan

Ian Hughes, U.K. Ambassador to South Sudan

Kees Van Baar, Netherlands Ambassador to South Sudan

Ariane Quentier, United Nations Mission in South Sudan Spokesperson

Joseph Karangwa, Head of Office, International Monetary Fund 

Monica Moore, USAID Deputy General Development Officer

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union

Elizabeth Carriere, Head of DFID, South Sudan

Oliver Modi, Chairman of the Union of Journalists in South Sudan

Biel Boutrous, Chairperson of South Sudan Human Rights Society

Edmond Yakani, Chairperson of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation

David de Dau, Executive Director, Agency for Independent Media

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