The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stands with journalists in Pakistan as they hold two days of mourning for their colleague Syed Saleem Shahzad and prepare for country-wide rallies on June 3 to express their outrage at his murder.
Journalists’ unions affiliated with the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) will hoist black flags and conduct condolence meetings with human rights activists and civil society groups.
The body of Shahzad, 40, was found on May 31 at Mandi Bahauddin, about 150km southeast of Islamabad in Punjab province.
Shahzad, a father of three who worked for Asia Times Online and Italian news agency Adnkronos, disappeared in Islamabad about 5.45pm on May 29.
A post-mortem noted 15 torture marks on his body, and no bullet wounds. The death was likely caused by a fatal blow to the chest region, according to news reports.
As hundreds of people
attended Shahzad’s funeral in Karachi on June 1,
organisations of journalists and press freedom advocates from around the world issued
a joint letter appealing to the Government of Pakistan to quickly implement all
appropriate measures to protect media personnel and to prosecute murderers of
journalists in Pakistan. Read the letter here.
The letter to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, signed by the PFUJ and 34 members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), noted that Pakistan’s toll of dead and injured journalists and media workers placed Pakistan ahead of Iraq and Mexico as the world’s most dangerous country for journalists.
“We fully appreciate the great difficulties confronting all people in Pakistan at
this time. However, we also know that Pakistan has the resources and
expertise to conduct credible investigations into murders of journalists and to
bring culprits to justice,” the letter said.
The IFJ welcomed reports that an inquiry had been ordered into Shahzad’s
abduction and murder, but continued to stress that all murders of media
personnel must be fully investigated.
Meanwhile, the intelligence arm of the Pakistan military, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), made a statement on June 1 to deny involvement in Shahzad’s disappearance and murder.
An ISI official was quoted by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) as saying allegations of ISI involvement were “baseless” and “tantamount to unprofessional conduct on the part of the media”. The ISI would “leave no stone unturned in helping to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice”.
Two days before he disappeared, Shahzad published the first of a two-part investigative series into alleged links between Al-Qaeda and Pakistani naval officials.
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0919
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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