2 days ago
Pakistan Journalist Detained as Press Freedom Group Condemns Cybercrime Case
Journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri was detained in Pakistan.
Authorities say he shared online content about the appointment of a counterterrorism official.
A court allowed investigators to hold him for three days.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says he should be released.
The group also wants the case against him dropped.
Ghauri’s family reported him missing after he disappeared from his office in Islamabad.
Rights advocates say Pakistan is increasingly using cybercrime laws against journalists and online commentators.
They are also worried about censorship, surveillance, and pressure on independent media.
The Committee to Protect Journalists urged Pakistan to release journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri and drop his cybercrime case.
An Islamabad magistrate approved a three-day physical remand requested by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
Authorities allege Ghauri circulated content about the appointment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority head.
Ghauri disappeared from his Islamabad home office on September 6 before authorities confirmed his detention.
Rights groups say the case reflects wider concerns about Pakistan’s use of cybercrime laws and restrictions on online expression.
- Who
- Journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, Pakistani authorities, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
- What
- Ghauri was detained and placed on a three-day physical remand in a cybercrime case under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
- Where
- Islamabad, Pakistan.
- When
- The magistrate approved the remand on Monday; the FIR concerns content allegedly posted on September 5, and Ghauri was reported missing on September 6.
- Why
- Authorities allege that Ghauri uploaded and circulated assertions and allegations concerning the appointment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority’s national coordinator; the Committee to Protect Journalists says the case attacks press freedom.
Press Freedom Advocates
Pakistani Authorities
Basis for detention
Press Freedom Advocates
The Committee to Protect Journalists says Ghauri was detained for commentary about the appointment of a public official and calls the action an attack on press freedom.
Pakistani Authorities
Authorities detained Ghauri after the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency opened a case alleging that he violated the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
Online content
Press Freedom Advocates
Ghauri’s commentary concerned the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Major General Faisal Naseer as national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority.
Pakistani Authorities
The FIR says the material allegedly contained assertions and allegations about the process and circumstances of the appointment.
Wider implications
Press Freedom Advocates
The Committee to Protect Journalists and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan warn of expanding censorship, surveillance, intimidation, and restrictions on online expression.
Pakistani Authorities
The authorities’ reported position is reflected in the cybercrime investigation and court-approved remand; the article does not provide a separate public statement from officials defending the broader policy.
Key facts
- Journalist
- Muhammad Bilal Ghauri
- Investigating agency
- National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency
- Legal basis
- Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act
- Court action
- Three-day physical remand approved by an Islamabad judicial magistrate
- Reported subject
- The appointment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority head
- Press freedom position
- The Committee to Protect Journalists called for Ghauri’s immediate release and dismissal of the case
- Earlier scrutiny
- Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency summoned Ghauri in June 2021 over alleged online defamation
Quotes
Waliullah Rahmani
Afghanistan Pakistan representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists
“Detaining journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri for his commentary on the appointment of a public official to a national security agency is a disturbing attack on press freedom in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities should release Ghauri immediately, drop the case against him, and ensure that journalists can scrutinize state institutions without fear of reprisal”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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