Senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa journalist Fayaz Zafar was arrested on the evening of August 30 under a Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO) while returning home from work. The journalist said that approximately 30 police officers and masked men stopped his vehicle, before taking him into custody.
Zafar has alleged that he was subject to physical abuse while in detention, with police said to have physically assaulted the journalist using their hands and firearms for approximately fifteen minutes. In a video posted to social media, scratches, dents, and other damage allegedly caused by police to the journalist’s vehicle during his arrest can be seen. In an interview, the journalist claimed that police pressured him to sign a document that would restrict his reporting while in custody, which he refused.
In a detention order posted to Zafar’s Facebook account, Swat law enforcement alleged the journalist had ‘exploited’ freedom of speech and had spread misleading or false information through his social media. The order claims that Zafar’s social media presence undermined state-security and ordered his detention for 30 days.
The journalist’s arrest has been met with condemnation from local legal organisations, civil society members and the Swat Press Club. Zafar was released following a meeting between local political and civil society leaders.
In a separate incident in Swat district, law enforcement registered a First Information Report against journalist Amjad Ali Sahaab on August 31 under Pakistan’s Penal Code under criminal defamation and insult charges, and criminal annoyance charges under the Telegraph Act. Sahaab’s home was reportedlty raided that same day, with a lawsuit claiming he had insulted government agencies through his writings. Sahaab successfully appealed for a pre-arrest bail, which has been granted until September 9.
PFUJ President G M Jamali and General Secretary Rana Azeem said: “PFUJ have been fighting against all illegal detentions of Media Workers. PFUJ demands stern action against all those involved in the unlawful confinement of Fayaz Zafar otherwise we will launch a call for a nation-wide strike of journalists’ unions. PFUJ also believes in self-censorship keeping in mind the educational and intellectual level of the audience.”
The IFJ said: “The arbitrary arrests of Fayaz Zafar and Amjad Ali Sahaab are deeply concerning and indicative of a wider trend of legal harassment and intimidation against Pakistan’s media. The IFJ urges the local authorities and the Pakistani government to ensure journalists are permitted to operate without fear of arrest or reprisal, and to withdraw all remaining charges immediately.”