Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), in a letter to Juan Orlando Hernandez, President of Honduras has expressed concern over the threatening message to Erick Pineda, correspondent of ‘Radio Progreso’.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali has condemned the continued attacks on the team of Radio Progreso and urged the authorities to independently and thoroughly investigate such incidents of attacks on journalists and media workers in Honduras.

According to Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre), in the morning of December 9 Pineda witnessed a threatening message written on the wall of his residence. Message stated, ‘Te damos 24 horas para que salgas del país. Corresponsal de Mierda.’ (We give you 24 hours ultimatum to leave the country).

The Radio Progreso in a statement warned that the threat is directly related to the journalistic work of Pineda and he also reported the incident to National Protection Mechanism, to provide security to the journalist. A complaint has been lodged and investigation is underway to hold those responsible behind this act.

During the year, C-Libre registered six cases, restricting freedom of expression and information of the Radio Progreso press team.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Michel Temer, President of Brazil has expressed concern over threats to reporter of Roma News Portal.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter has called on the Brazilian authorities to immediately investigate the matter and hold the officers involved in threatening a journalist.

According to Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), the journalist, whose identity was not disclosed for security reasons was threatened by the officers of Military Police of Para while covering the match between Paysandu and Atlético-GO.

On November 24, while the reporter was taking views of the supporters about the match, the officers threatened him to stop covering the event, else they will shoot him with a rubber bullet.

The News Portal is still figuring out what steps to take in the case as a formal complaint will reveal reporter’s identification and incite the reprisals.

The statement of Military Police of Pará stated that, “the Battalion Police connected to the Specialized Police Command has already taken notice of the incident.”

BANNU: A journalist is receiving threats for giving coverage to protest demonstrations against Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) or the Pashtun protection movement.

The local journalist has, meanwhile, criticised for not taking any action against those hurling threats, despite being informed time and again. Journalists have also announced boycotting all police functions for not providing protection to reporters.

According to details, the PTM organised a party meeting in Bannu the other day. The very next day, the Waziristan tribal people held a demonstration in Mir Ali against the PTM and their elected representatives while and trader organisations and common people held a protest in Bannu against the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement.

Different television channels and reporters covered these protest demonstrations. After that, a reporter of a private TV channel and general secretary of Bannu Press Club was given life threats through telephonic calls for covering the anti-PTM demonstrations. The journalist community has demanded protection to the said reporter.

The News

KARACHI: “Stop the sit-in in front of the SSP office. Otherwise we will kill the journalist.”

This was the last message from the dacoits allegedly holding journalist Hakim Abro captive to the journalists of Ghotki district, who have set up a camp for the release of their colleague. For the last three months, journalists and civil society activists have been protesting for Hakim’s release.

Hakim, a journalist with channel Dharti TV, was reportedly kidnapped after filing reports against a feudal lord and dacoits in the area. “Earlier, he had been warned not to report against the feudal lord who was harbouring the dacoits,” said a journalist, Shahid Abro. “He is now facing the consequences for not complying.”

According to Shahid, one of the feudal lords of Sundrani tribe, Ehsan Sundrani, used to organise bull-racing in his area and invite gangs of dacoits and criminals. He added that the dacoits used to engage in aerial firing, killing some people and creating terror in the area. “Despite the warning, it was Hakim’s last report for his channel, which irked these criminals who then kidnapped him on the way to his village.”

The local reporters have protested and approached influential people, but to no avail. “With the help of Karachi Union of Journalists, we protested during the Sindh Assembly session too,” said Wazir Ahmed Mahar, the president of Daharki Press Club.

“The chief minister and information minister took notice of the issue, but the police are not taking the matter seriously. Instead of securing Hakim’s release, the police are pressuring us to pay ransom to the dacoits, for which they are willing to act as mediator.”

Mahar added that a group of journalists also approached the Karachi corps commander and provided call records, revealing that Sundrani’s son Naveed was coordinating with the dacoits, to the police with the help of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

“At first, Ghotki SSP Saqib Sultan assured us that our colleague will be released within eight hours,” he said. “He later extended the deadline to a week and has been giving us lame excuses since then.”

Allah Warayo Bozdar, another journalist from the area, said that the case had been transferred to Khairpur SSP Nasir Aftab. He had arrested Naveed, who promised him that Hakim would be released within three days. However, this did not happen as the government transferred the officer and ordered Naveed’s release.

Sukkur DIG Kamran Afzal said that the Ghotki police are working on this case and the journalist would be released soon. Meanwhile, SSP Sultan, who is now dealing with the case again, said that they had arrested a few suspects and would resolve the matter very soon. “This is a very complicated case, which is why we don’t want to share details,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sundari, whose family heads the tribe, claimed that the allegations against them were unfounded. “We are law-abiding citizens. We have nothing to do with the kidnapping of the journalist.”

Express Tribune

UNITED NATIONS: Pak­istan unequivocally condemned all attacks on and violence against journalists in the performance of their professional duties.

Participating in a debate on Protection of Journalists in Conflict Situations’ in the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi said that Pakistan shares the international outrage on the recent beheading and summary execution of journalists by terrorist organisations. “This barbarism must come to an end and the safety of media personnel should be fully assured.”

Highlighting the role of journalists in the information age, she said that the role and contribution of journalists had become even more crucial, more so in situations of armed conflict as the media was not only witness to facts on the ground but also shaped opinion and assisted in presenting moral and political choices in conflict situations.

Talking about the professional risks faced by journalists, Ambassador Lodhi said: “As a former journalist myself, I know the risks journalists take to unveil and uphold the truth.”

Ms Lodhi said that the threats to journalists have become more complex today as some regions of the world descended into chaos and conflict.

“Several new trends are now in evidence — increased use of terror tactics, rising threats to journalists’ lives in conflict zones and the media’s resort to private armed escorts for their protection,” she added.

She said that the independent journalism was vital for a free society, to hold the powerful to account and for citizens to be informed and actively engaged.

She Lodhi regretted that despite robust provisions of international legal framework for protection of journalists, deliberate violence against journalists was on the rise. To counter this alarming trend, she called for innovative thinking, approaches and responses.

In addition to promoting greater understanding and awareness as well as full and effective implementation of existing provisions of international law, Ambassador Lodhi suggested that the journalists might be identified as a special category of persons to be protected and for strengthening the role of peace-keeping missions for protection of journalists by providing additional resources.

Referring to the problem of impunity that remains a disturbing trend, she urged intensifying efforts to ensure that perpetrators of attacks against journalists were brought to justice.

Dawn

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