Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an umbrella group of several journalist unions in Pakistan, joined the growing chorus of criticism against Egypt’s raid on Anadolu Agency’s Cairo bureau terming it an attempt to gag the freedom of the press.
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In a statement on Thursday, PFUJ President Nawaz Raza and Secretary General Sohail Afzal Khan urged Cairo to immediately release the detained journalists and refrain from such arbitrary acts in future.
“Pakistani journalists fully stand by their colleagues and consider this unlawful act as an attempt to stifle the freedom of press,” the statement said, adding: “But we want to make it clear that the journalist fraternity will not be cowed down by these coward attempts.”
Egyptian police raided the Cairo bureau of Anadolu Agency late Tuesday and detained four employees.
The staff members, including one Turkish citizen, were taken to an unknown location.
Turkey strongly condemned the move and called for immediate release of Anadolu Agency staff members.
