Human Rights Watch call on Pakistani State to Stop Harassing Family Members
Pakistani authorities should immediately drop politically motivated charges and release Mir Shakilur Rehman, an editor with Pakistan’s largest media group, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should also stop harassing Rehman’s family members.
“Pakistani authorities should stop using vague and overbroad anti-corruption laws against dissenting voices,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Seeking the arrest of Mir Shakil ur Rehman’s children for alleged acts when they were hardly more than toddlers shows how ludicrous the case against him is.”
“The Pakistani government should cease using the National Accountability Bureau to target journalists, opposition politicians, and outspoken critics,” Adams said. “As a first step, the government should repeal the draconian dictatorship-era laws that have shrunk basic free expression rights.”