Latest Freedom of Expression issues in Pakistan. Mention at least 3 cases.

 

Pakistani journalists rally on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day in Karachi, Pakistan, May 3, 2018.

The report, Press Freedom Barometer 2018, published ahead of Thursday’s observance of World Press Freedom Day, documents more than 150 violations against journalists and media groups in the country.

The 16-page report’s violations include officially enforced censorship, written or verbal threats, killings, harassment, arrests, abductions, illegal confinements and physical assaults, conducted by state and nonstate actors and political and religious parties.

“At least 157 cases of attacks and violations were documented in Pakistan between May 1, 2017, and April 1, 2018, across all four provinces, Islamabad and tribal areas. That’s an average of about 15 cases of violations a month,” the report noted.

The executive director of Freedom Network, Iqbal Khattak, told VOA that despite a noticeable decline in overall terrorism in the country, journalism and journalists have remained vulnerable.

Pakistani journalists lay a wreath at a monument to pay tribute to journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day at National Press Club in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 3, 2018.

“There had been a significant decline in terrorism within the country, and we thought it will have a positive impact on journalism as well. But unfortunately that’s not the case, and the situation of press freedom has deteriorated in Pakistan,” Khattak told VOA.

There has been no response from the government.

Independence jeopardized- "Journalists in Pakistan have surrendered to the continued oppression and have implemented self-censorship. They avoid reporting news and facts that may result in violence. This will have a serious and grave impact on investigative journalism in the country," Khattak said.

Soul searching- “I agree the findings of this report are disturbing and heartbreaking. Journalists should not have to live in an environment of fear. Those who go out to report events should not be killed, and no media group should be made to practice self-censorship,” said Amir Ilyas Rana, a senior Islamabad-based journalist

Freedom of religion and belief:

At least 17 people remain on death row in Pakistan after being convicted under the draconian blasphemy law and hundreds await trial.

 Most of those facing blasphemy allegations are members of religious minorities.

In October, Pakistan’s Supreme Court quashed the conviction and ordered the release of 47-year-old Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman from a village in Punjab province who had been on death row for eight years.

Groups supporting the blasphemy law took to the streets to protest the decision of Aasia’s release, damaged public and private property, and threatened judges of the Supreme Court, government officials, and military leadership with violent reprisals.

In May, then-Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal was shot in an assassination attempt by an individual affiliated with an anti-blasphemy group at an election rally in Narowal district, Punjab.

Women’s and children rights:

Violence against women and girls—including rape, so-called honor killings, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage—remains a serious problem.

Pakistani activists estimate that there are about 1,000 “honor” killings every year.

In June, the murder of 19-year-old Mahwish Arshad in Faisalabad district, Punjab, for refusing a marriage proposal gained national attention. According to media reports, at least 66 women were murdered in Faisalabad district in the first six months of 2018, the majority in the name of “honor.”

Women from religious minority communities remain particularly vulnerable to abuse. A report by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan found that at least 1,000 girls belonging to Christian and Hindu communities are forced to marry Muslim men every year. The government has done little to stop such forced marriages.