Acts of Intimidation: In Pakistan, journalists’ fear and censorship grow even as fatal violence declines
As killings of journalists in Pakistan decline so too does press freedom, as the country’s powerful military quietly, but effectively, restricts reporting by barring access, encouraging self-censorship through direct and indirect acts of intimidation, and even allegedly instigating violence against reporters. Journalists who push back or are overly critical of authorities are attacked, threatened, or…
Acts of Intimidation:
About This Report This report was written by CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler. CPJ’s multimedia producer Mustafa Hameed contributed research and reporting, and produced the accompanying documentary “Acts of Intimidation.” CPJ traveled to Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, and Okara in February 2018, to meet with journalists, editors, and media groups.
Acts of Intimidation:
Divided and alone, Pakistan’s press finds safety in numbers To compensate for the unwillingness or inability of government institutions to create a safe atmosphere for the press or tackle the ongoing issue of impunity in the murder of journalists, several independent organizations, including the Freedom Network, Media Matters for Democracy, the Pakistan Press Foundation and…
Silence from judiciary over media attacks increases self-censorship, Pakistan’s journalists say
When it comes to the military and the judiciary, Pakistan’s journalists are “between a rock and a hard place,” Zohra Yusuf, of the independent non-profit Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told CPJ. In recent months the judiciary, which has a history of siding with Pakistan’s powerful military, has remained largely silent amid attempts to censor…
Pakistani police arrest, beat Norwegian TV reporter covering political rally
New York, July 17, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Pakistani authorities to allow journalists to carry out their work without fear of reprisal. Journalist Kadafi Zaman, a reporter for Norway’s TV 2, told CPJ he was arrested and beaten by police while covering a political rally on July 13 in Gujrat city,…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Pakistan’s election
Pakistan’s general elections are scheduled for July 25. Journalists covering the election may face intimidation or physical aggression, especially when covering political rallies and protests, and the possibility of terrorist attacks. In May, the Pakistan-based media watchdog Freedom Network documented 23 violations against the media. Journalists are also at risk of abduction or increased online…
CPJ calls on Pakistan’s PM to protect press freedom ahead of elections
CPJ expresses concern that recent events in Pakistan signal that the media is not free to report on the upcoming elections, and urges the government to take necessary measures to guarantee journalists’ ability to work without fear of intimidation or reprisal.
Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari killed in Srinagar
New York, June 14, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned the killing of the editor of the English-language daily newspaper Rising Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, in Srinagar, Kashmir. Unknown attackers shot Bukhari today at close range in the city’s Press Colony, according to news reports.
With elections looming in Pakistan, two journalists attacked
New York, June 6, 2018–The Committee to Protect Journalists today strongly condemned the abduction of journalist Gul Bukhari and the attack against journalist Asad Kharal in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday and urged Pakistani authorities to promptly investigate the incidents and prosecute the perpetrators.