Journalists, human rights groups slam Pakistan govt for 'clampdown on free speech' by amending cybercrime law

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 24 : Journalists, human rights organisations and even the human rights cell of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) which supported the passage of the bill in the National Assembly have criticised the federal government for passing the amendments to the cybercrime law without taking stakeholders on board, Dawn reported.
Slamming the Pakistan government for passing the amendments without taking stakeholders on board, journalists and rights bodies said the measures significantly curtail freedom of expression and criminalise dissent, Dawn reported.
A joint statement by a coalition of journalists and media bodies pledged to challenge the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act in court and start a protest movement.
The Joint Action Committee, which is composed of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) held a special meeting and accused the federal government of "breaching" its promise by passing the contentious bill without consulting any of the parties.
"The focus of this bill is not just social media, but also electronic and print media's digital platforms, to criminalise dissenting opinions," as quoted by Dawn.
The coalition called on the government to postpone Senate ratification of the law and engage with interested parties.
In a statement, Global Network Initiative executive director Jason Pielemeier also called on the Pakistan government to reevaluate its "hurried approach" and perform "open, transparent, and multi-stakeholder" consultations on the rule.
According to Dawn, the statement also noted that there may be "significant impacts on the freedom of opinion, expression, and press in Pakistan" as a result of the enlarged definition of unlawful content, which now includes "fake or false information" and "aspersion" against constitutional institutions and their officers.
Reminding that Pakistan was bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political, which protects the freedom of expression, the Global Network Initiative urged the government to engage in "meaningful dialogue" and hold "transparent public consultation" on this issue.
The law was also denounced by the Karachi Press Club (KPC) as a "threat to the freedom of expression," Dawn reported. KPC President Fazil Jamili and Secretary Sohail Afzal Khan stated that the government should let the media report truthfully instead of restricting free expression.
Notably, during voting on amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in the assembly on Thursday, PPP members have expressed their support for the passage of the law. The JUI-F was the only party to oppose the bill in the assembly.
However, PPP Human Rights Cell President Farhatullah Babar has said the changes to Peca were aimed at further stifling the freedom of expression by setting up multiple authorities under executive control.
"This would [enlarge] the footprint of unaccountable intelligence agencies and [give] sweeping powers to the executive not only over the contents of the message but also the messengers, namely the social media platforms," Babar said.