IFJ Demands Pakistan’s Leaders Address Impunity

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to take immediate action to end impunity for the killings of journalists in Pakistan, following the murder of Ghulam Rasool Birhamani, whose body was found in the Sindh region on May 10.

     

Birhamani, a reporter for the Hyderabad-basedDaily Sindhunewspaper, went missing on May 9. According to local media reports and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), he was kidnapped by unidentified persons near the village of Wahipandhi,tortured, and killed by a blow to the head. His mutilated body was found in a field near the town of Dadu. 

 

The motivation remains unclear. Birhamani’s family says he had no enmity with anyone in the area but may have been killed for his “even-handed and fair” reporting on political matters in Sindh, according to the PFUJ.

 

Birhamani had worked as a professional journalist for more than two decades and was attached to a range of Sindhi publications. He leaves a widow, two sons and a daughter.

 

“Since early 2005, at least 15 journalists have been killed in Pakistan in verified targeted attacks due to the content of their reporting. Not one suspect has been prosecuted,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

 

“Pakistan’s power-holders must reverse the culture of impunity and take responsibility for ensuring there is justice for the families and colleagues of murdered journalists. It is not enough to offer condolences yet again – the federal and provincial governments must use their authority to ensure that full and transparent investigations are conducted into all murders of media personnel in Pakistan.”

 

In a separate case of violence against a journalist this week, Azaz Syed, of Dawn newspaper,retuned to his Islamabad home from his office in the early hours of May 11 to discover seven bullet holes in his gate, and his neighbours and family discussing the attack by unidentified culprits.

 

Syed experienced similar threats on January 19, when bricks were hurled at his house and car. The PFUJ, an IFJ affiliate, believes the attacks were in retaliation for Syed’s reports exposing corruption among military and intelligence officials. High-ranking officers had contacted him to demand he halt publishing his reports.

 

In a statement following a recent meeting of the PFUJ’s federal executive council, the union demanded that the details of police investigations into the murders of journalists be made open for public inspection. The PFUJ reiterated deep concerns about the failure of authorities to arrest any suspects for the murders of journalists.

 

The IFJ joins the PFUJ in demanding that authorities conduct an immediate and credible investigation into the murder of Birhamani, and all incidents of violence against media personnel, including the two attacks on Syed

 

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide