The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, today condemned the arrest of Norwegian journalist Kadafi Zaman by the Pakistan police in Gujrat city on July 13.

Kadafi Zaman, who reports for the Norwegian national public broadcasting company TV 2, was arrested while covering a demonstration in the northeastern city.

According to information received by IPI, Zaman was arrested along with 38 others and charged with attempted homicide and theft of cell phones from the police. The arrest took place as Zaman was about to begin a live telecast of the demonstration for TV 2. He has now been released on bail.

In letters of the prime minister of Pakistan, Justice (Retd.) Nasir-ul-Malik, and chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen called for the charges against Zaman to be dropped.

“Mr. Zaman was doing his job as a journalist covering the demonstration and was not involved in any of the violent activities that took place during the demonstration that was held in the city of Gujrat in Punjab province”, Griffen said. “The accusations against him are baseless and devoid of facts.”

He also urged the prime minister and the chief justice to take note of the letter sent by IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi on June 12, 2018, raising concerns about the state of press freedom in the country and attacks on independent media by the military.

The full text of the letter follows below.

His Excellency Justice (Retd.) Nasir-ul-Malik
Honourable Prime Minister
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Islamabad

Vienna, 16 July 2018

Re: Arrest of Norwegian journalist in Pakistan

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, is deeply concerned over the high-handedness of the police and security forces towards journalists in your country.

A Norwegian journalist, Kadafi Zaman, who reports for the Norwegian national public broadcasting company TV2, has been arrested in Pakistan while covering a demonstration.

According to the information received by IPI, Mr. Zaman was arrested on July 13 along with 38 others and charged with attempted homicide and theft of cell phones from the police. The arrest took place as he was about to begin a live telecast of the demonstration for his broadcaster. He has now been released on bail.

Mr. Zaman was doing his job as a journalist covering the demonstration and was not involved in any of the violent activities that took place during and after the demonstration that was held in the city of Gujrat in the Punjab province. The accusations against him are baseless and devoid of facts.

Mr. Zaman is a highly respected journalist in Norway and is well aware of his professional duties and responsibilities as an impartial, unbiased reporter.

Your Excellency, we urge you to order the relevant authorities to drop all charges against him and allow him to cover the national elections scheduled for July 26. Pakistan is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes press freedom and freedom of expression.

I would also like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to our letter dated June 12, 2018 expressing our concern over the role of the Pakistani military, which appears to be increasing pressure on the country’s media so as to impose a narrative of its own choosing with relation to its involvement in civilian affairs. In particular, we are highly troubled that, as part of this recent escalation, the military has publicly castigated independent media as a threat to national security, as a consequence of which dissenting journalists have been targeted on social media and threatened with bodily harm.

Excellency, you are well aware that such a climate is inimical to both democracy and the free flow of information necessary to this upcoming election. IPI is worried that the continued persecution of independent media and journalists, both national and foreign, is designed to convey a clear message: that any criticism of the military’s involvement in civilian affairs will have dire consequences for the survival of an independent press in Pakistan.

We therefore call upon Your Excellency and the government of Pakistan to do everything possible to ensure that the deteriorating environment for the independent press is reversed, and that the press is protected from attacks by state institutions. Unless rigorous measures are taken to halt further attempts to influence reporting in the media, and to ensure that journalists and newspapers are allowed to publish freely, and television channels are allowed to broadcast in Pakistan without any further harassment, doubts may be cast on the credibility of the upcoming elections.

We thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Scott Griffen
Deputy Director
International Press Institute