CPJ, rights groups urge Pakistan PM to address worsening press freedom climate
The Committee to Protect Journalists alongside 17 other press freedom and human rights organizations have written to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging his government to take immediate steps to uphold the country’s constitutional and international obligations to protect press freedom. In a joint letter, the groups said recent legal and institutional developments, coupled with…
Harassed at home, convicted abroad: Pakistan steps up prosecution of overseas journalists
Pakistan’s government has stepped up the use of in absentia convictions and arrest warrants against Pakistani journalists living overseas since late 2025, highlighting an escalating crackdown by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government on critical reporting and commentary that extends beyond domestic borders. In early January, four foreign-based Pakistani journalists and commentators were convicted on the…
CPJ urges Pakistan lawmakers to reconsider bills that could undermine press freedom
New York, August 4, 2023—Pakistan lawmakers should reject or revise four draft bills likely to undermine press freedom and consult with journalists and other stakeholders in a transparent review process before putting the bills to a vote, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On July 20, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb introduced in the lower…