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PAKISTAN: Journalists to stage protest over rights of those in the media

May 1, 2006

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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal

2 May 2006
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UA-145-2006: PAKISTAN: Journalists to stage protest over rights of those in the media

PAKISTAN: Violation of right to free speech and information
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Dear friends,

On the eve of the International Day for Freedom of Press (May 3), Pakistani journalists plan to observe this by conducting rallies in support of missing and arrested journalists. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is aware that the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) will commence their main rally from the Rawalpindi Press Club and make their way to the President of Pakistan’s Army Camp Office at the Pakistan army headquarters in Rawalpindi. Other journalist unions in various provinces around the country plan to launch their rallies at their local Press Clubs, before making their way to the Governor house of their province.

It has been learned that much pressure has been placed on the PFUJ to change the starting point of their rally. This is out of fear that the army and police will not allow the protestors to march up to the army camp and that the authorities may use violence against the journalists in an attempt to disperse them. Such violence occurred last year on the International Day for Freedom of Press when journalists were set upon by law enforces using batons and several journalists were arrested.

The AHRC supports the rallies being held on May 3 in Pakistan and ask that the authorities allow for them to go ahead without fear of violence or arrest.

The AHRC also asks the Government of Pakistan to produce journalist Hayatullah Khan in a court of law without further delay. Hayatullah was disappeared on 5 December 2005 and has not been since. His disappearance followed his coverage of a student demonstration against the army attack in Wana, in the northern area of the country. It is suspected that Hayatullah has been handed over to armed forces from the United States serving in Pakistan.

The AHRC also calls for investigations and justice into the killing of BBC radio journalist, Nisar Afridi, who was killed by unknown assailants while covering the army crackdown against militants in the northern area of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

The AHRC also asks that general violence against journalists be stopped, that black laws against the media be abolished, and that the Wage Award be implemented. More than twelve cases are currently registered against journalists under the black laws such as the Official Secret Act and the Printing and Publication order ordinance of 1963. Journalists have been struggling for better wages and the implementation of the 7th Wage Board award which was awarded in 2000, but has yet to be put into effect. 

The military government has stopped two television channels and FM-103 radio from broadcasting BBC programmes. The FM radio’s equipment was also confiscated.

In the Sindh province journalists and newsmen remain under threat. One newspaper office was punished for publishing a particular advertisement and it was attacked by unknown persons.

The military government has also cracked down on media coverage in Balochistan, where military operations are being conducted. Several print and electronic media sources have had their operations stopped (please see UA-144-2006).


SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the relevant authorities listed below voicing your concern for the rights of journalists and other persons in the media currently working in Pakistan.

Suggested letter:

Dear _______________,

PAKISTAN: Journalists to stage protest over rights of those in the media

I write in solidarity with those journalists who intend on protesting in various locations throughout Pakistan on May 3 in regards to the International Day for Freedom of Press.

According to information I have received, Pakistani journalists intend to observe this day by conducting rallies in support of missing and arrested journalists. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) will commence their main rally from the Rawalpindi Press Club and make their way to the President of Pakistan’s Army Camp Office at the Pakistan army headquarters in Rawalpindi. Other journalist unions in various provinces around the country plan to launch their rallies at their local Press Club, before making their way to the Governor house of their province.

I am aware that this same rally met with violence last year when those protesting were attacked by baton wielding law enforcers. I am also aware that the protestors are concerned that the police may not allow them to follow the route that they have planned for the demonstration.

I therefore ask that you ensure that this is not the case and that the protestors are given the opportunity to voice their concerns, without fear of violence or arrest.

I also support the journalists in their demand to the Government of Pakistan to produce journalist Hayatullah Khan in a court of law without further delay. Hayatullah was disappeared on 5 December 2005 and has not been since. His disappearance followed his coverage of a student demonstration against the army attack in Wana, in the northern area of the country. It is suspected that Hayatullah has been handed over to armed forces from the United States serving in Pakistan.

I also call for investigations and justice into the killing of BBC radio journalist, Nisar Afridi, who was killed by unknown assailants while covering the army crackdown against militants in the northern area of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

Finally, I lend my support to the journalists in their request that general violence against journalists be stopped, that black laws against the media be abolished, and that the Wage Award be implemented.

Finally, I ask that recent actions taken by the military government to suppress the media, in the form of closing down media outlets and confiscating equipment, be stopped and that no further action such as this is taken in the future.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: (please see - http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)

2. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights,
S Block,
Pakistan Secretariat,
Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk

3. Mr. Mohamag Ali Durrani
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Government of Pakistan
Islamabad
Pakistan
Email: infominister@infopak.gov.pk

4. Mr.Tariq Azeem
Minister of State for Information and Boradcasting
Government of Pakistan
Islamabad
Pakistan
Email: mos@infopak.gov.pk

5.Mr. Ashfaq Gondal
Principal Information Officer to the President of Pakistan
President Secretariat
Islamabad
Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 927 008

6. Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
c/o J Deriviero
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9177
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION)
Email: jderiviero@ohchr.org or urgent-action@ohchr.org 


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-145-2006
Countries :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.