Pakistani journalist sentenced to five years in prison under anti-terrorism laws
Washington, D.C., December 31, 2019—Pakistani authorities should immediately release and drop all legal proceedings against journalist Nasrullah Chaudhry, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Chaudhry was convicted under anti-terrorism laws and sentenced to five years in prison on December 21 over the alleged possession of banned literature, according to news reports.
Demonstrators block entrance to Dawn newspaper in Pakistan, call for staffers to be hanged
New York, December 3, 2019 — Pakistan authorities must prevent demonstrations against the Dawn newspaper from turning violent, and should investigate death threats made against its staffers, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
CPJ Insider, November: Face-to-face with Pakistani border control and a northern Syria crisis
On a strange ‘stop list,’ CPJ staffer is refused entry to Pakistan The man at the Lahore airport customs point looked puzzled. Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, was holding a U.S. passport with a valid, newly issued visa to enter Pakistan. But the computer showed he was on a “stop list” from the Interior…
Pakistan media regulator walks back ban on news anchors expressing personal opinions
On October 27, 2019, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, the country’s nominally independent media regulator, issued an order posted on its official Twitter account prohibiting news anchors from expressing opinions, stating that anchors hosting news programs “should not appear in talk shows,” and saying that news organizations would be held responsible for “any biased,…
CPJ’s Butler denied entry to Pakistan to attend a human rights conference
On Wednesday, Pakistani immigration authorities denied entry to CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, citing a blacklist managed by the Ministry of Interior. On Sunday, a Turkish air strike hit a civilian convoy in northern Syria, killing two Syrian Kurdish journalists. Saad Ahmed, a reporter for the local news agency Hawar News, died shortly after…
A concerning plan to establish media courts in Pakistan
Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved an initiative to establish specialized courts aimed at resolving media-related issues, the government announced on Tuesday. CPJ expressed serious concerns about this plan. On Monday, CPJ voiced apprehension over the appeal of Aleksei Pukach, who was convicted of murdering Ukrainian investigative journalist Georgy Gongadze in 2000. The appeal hearings began…
CPJ concerned about Pakistan media court initiative
Washington, D.C., September 18, 2019 — Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved an initiative to establish specialized courts aimed at resolving media-related issues, the government announced yesterday, according to news reports. The proposal drew swift condemnation on social media from human rights and press freedom organizations.
Pakistani news program cancelled amid defamation suits from prime minister
On August 6, 2019, Pakistani broadcaster Channel 24 HD cancelled the “Najam Sethi Show,” a news and political commentary program, after the broadcaster’s management received a phone call from an unidentified individual demanding the show be dropped, according to Najam Sethi, the show’s host, who spoke with CPJ on the phone.