ISLAMABAD: Jang and
Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest in a 34 years old
property case is among the “most urgent” cases of threats to Press Freedom.
The arrest has been
highlighted in the TIME magazine list of 10 most urgent cases.
TIME says that as
the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, some prisons and
detention facilities have become hot spots for virus outbreaks. For some
journalists imprisoned on charges related to their work, this means COVID-19
has become even more life-threatening.
Pointing out the
Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief’s arrest, the world’s distinguished magazine says that
“to silence criticism of pandemic preparedness, government targets broadcast
outlet and its CEO.”
TIME says the
Editor-in-Chief of Jang Media Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, was arrested on
March 12 over a case involving allegations that he illegally acquired land in
1986. The next day, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ordered
cable distributors throughout the country to stop transmitting Geo TV, which is
owned by the Jang Media Group and is the nation’s largest TV news channel, or
move its broadcasts to a higher, harder-to-find channel. Despite no charges
filed, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was denied bail on April 7.
The list is
maintained monthly by the One Free Press Coalition, a collective of nearly 40
news organisations, including TIME.
Ahead of World Press
Freedom Day on May 3, the One Free Press Coalition calls for the immediate
release of all jailed journalists. “In light of the threat posed by
coronavirus, their freedom is now a matter of life or death,” says the
coalition in a statement.
Other nine cases of
journalists on May’s list are 1. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan), Abdulkhaleq
Amran, Akram al-Waleedi, Hareth Hameed and Tawfiq al-Mansouri (Yemen), 3. Mahmoud
al-Jaziri (Bahrain), 4. Solafa Magdy (Egypt), 5. Darvinson Rojas (Venezuela),
6. Truong Duy Nhat (Vietnam), 7. Elena Milashina (Russia), 8. Yayesew Shimelis
(Ethiopia), 9. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia).
Newspaper: The
News
