The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with eight other press freedom and human rights organizations, on Friday urged Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take immediate action to address the country’s rapidly deteriorating press freedom environment.
In a joint letter, the groups expressed concern about new
restrictions
on reporting in parts of Pakistan, recurring internet and telecommunications
blackouts
, government meddling in news outlets’ operations, and criminal investigations against journalists.
The groups called on Sharif’s government to ensure those responsible for threatening and harassing the press, or detaining journalists arbitrarily, are held accountable.
They also called for the immediate release and safe return of
journalists Razi Tahir
and
Muhammad Saif,
who have been missing for more than a month after being taken from their office in connection to their reporting on Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Read the full letter
here
.
