Dinesh jain
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A politically motivated ban imposed on a
Pakistani TV channel critical of the government
constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of
expression, said Amnesty International.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority (PEMRA) today suspended
transmissions of private network ARY TV for 15
days. It has been accused of ostensibly
“maligning” the country’s judiciary after it aired
an interview with a man currently the subject of
a high-profile trial before the Lahore High Court.
“ARY TV must be immediately allowed back on
air. There is simply no justification for the
Pakistani authorities to silence sections of the
media solely because of their political leanings,”
said Mustafa Qadri, Pakistan researcher at
Amnesty International.
“The ban on ARY is a sobering reminder of the
threat of criminal prosecution on the basis of
overly broad contempt of court or anti-state
provisions. Journalists in Pakistan are under
attack from all sides, facing harassment, even
abduction and killings for carrying out their
work.”
The decision and trial come against the
background of an increasingly confrontational
political tussle between the elected government,
the military and some opposition political groups.
In June PEMRA suspended Geo TV, one of the
country’s major TV networks and ARY’s main
competitor, for 15 days – reportedly under
pressure from the military – after the channel
accused a senior intelligence official of
orchestrating the attempted killing of one of its
journalists.
Pakistan bans TV channel amid increased attempts to control freedom of expression | Amnesty International
Pakistani TV channel critical of the government
constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of
expression, said Amnesty International.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority (PEMRA) today suspended
transmissions of private network ARY TV for 15
days. It has been accused of ostensibly
“maligning” the country’s judiciary after it aired
an interview with a man currently the subject of
a high-profile trial before the Lahore High Court.
“ARY TV must be immediately allowed back on
air. There is simply no justification for the
Pakistani authorities to silence sections of the
media solely because of their political leanings,”
said Mustafa Qadri, Pakistan researcher at
Amnesty International.
“The ban on ARY is a sobering reminder of the
threat of criminal prosecution on the basis of
overly broad contempt of court or anti-state
provisions. Journalists in Pakistan are under
attack from all sides, facing harassment, even
abduction and killings for carrying out their
work.”
The decision and trial come against the
background of an increasingly confrontational
political tussle between the elected government,
the military and some opposition political groups.
In June PEMRA suspended Geo TV, one of the
country’s major TV networks and ARY’s main
competitor, for 15 days – reportedly under
pressure from the military – after the channel
accused a senior intelligence official of
orchestrating the attempted killing of one of its
journalists.
Pakistan bans TV channel amid increased attempts to control freedom of expression | Amnesty International
