Tribunals set up to investigate journalist murders in Balochistan

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes the establishment of two judicial tribunals to investigate six journalist murders in the Balochistan province of Pakistan since 2011. According to a statement from the Home Department in Quetta, the provincal capital on April 1, the two tribunals would work in Khuzdar and Makran districts to investigate the murder cases of a number of journalists, naming those responsible and recommending measures to prevent such murders of journalists in the future. The murder victims to be investigated will be Abdul Haq Baloch, Javed Ahmed and Munir Shakil from Khuzdar district and Abdul Razzaq, Abudost Rind and Ilyas Nazar from Makran district, who were killed from 2011 to 2013. Jane Worthington, the IFJ Asia Pacific acting director, said: “The IFJ welcomes the decision by the Balochistan government to investigate the murders of journalists. The IFJ views the development as a step forward in delivering justice and breaking Pakistan’s cycle of impunity.” Pakistan remains the deadliest and most dangerous country for journalists in the world. In 2014, 14 journalists were killed for their work. Four of those murders were in Balochistan. But while the IFJ welcomes the developing, it remains concerned that not all murder cases are being investigated. The IFJ calls on the Balochistan provincial government to expand the reach of the tribunals to investigate all murder cases in the province; and urges the government of Pakistan to establish a federal level mechanism to investigate the murder of more than 100 Pakistani journalists since 2001.           For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950            The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 134 countries                               Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific                  Find the IFJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFJAsiaPacific