Pakistan’s authorities must ensure that the criminal justice system is not used to harass or intimidate journalists, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
The human rights organisation raised its concern after the Lahore High Court’s decision to issue non-bailable arrest warrants for journalist Cyril Almeida and imposed a ban on his travelling outside the country.
“Cyril Almeida has simply been doing his job as a journalist. He conducted an interview with a former prime minister and reported what he was told. While the Lahore High Court is entitled to demand his appearance, the authorities must be careful not to use the criminal justice system to harass or intimidate journalists. Journalism is not a crime and journalists doing their work should not be treated as criminals,” said Omar Waraich, Deputy South Asia Director at Amnesty International.
“The new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has made a number of very positive pledges when it comes to human rights. We expect his government will also commit to the protection of freedom of expression, and ensure a safe and enabling environment for journalists and other human rights defenders, so that they can do their work freely and without fear of reprisals,” said Omar Waraich.
Published in Daily Times, September 28th 2018.
