Johannesburg, 24 July 2012: CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Pakistan women’s rights group Blue Veins strongly condemn attacks on human rights defenders in Pakistan, and urge Pakistan’s government to uphold its responsibility to protect civil society.
The work of civil society activists and independent journalists is becoming increasingly dangerous in Pakistan. On 4 July 2012, women’s rights activist Farida Afridi was shot dead by gunmen in the Khyber Agency region of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) of Northwest Pakistan. Farida worked for the Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas, a CSO focusing on the welfare and the rights of women. She had been threatened by extremist groups to stop her activities as a human rights defender prior to her death.Three members of advocacy group the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Siddique Eido, Naseem Sabir and Zarteef Afridi, were reportedly assassinated in 2011 after repeated harassment and threats by extremist groups demanding that they stop their human rights work. Further, at least 10 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since the start of 2012, with a similar number reportedly assassinated in 2011. Prominent journalist Saleem Shahzad went missing on 29 May 2011 after complaining about threats to his life. His body was found bearing signs of torture two days later.
“With increasing extremism, the space for those who advance progressive, liberal ideas is becoming smaller and more restricted by the day in Pakistan,” said Qamar Naseem, Programme Coordinator at Blue Veins, co-chair of the End Violence against Women and Children Alliance (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA) and an active member of Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN). “Instead of protecting civil society space, the state and dominant political groups are engaged in a campaign to label all forms of dissent as either ‘terrorist propaganda’ or an advancement of a ‘western imperial’ agenda.”
Prominent human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir recently reported harassment and intimidation from official agencies as a result of her work. In June 2012, she cited leaked reports about attempts to assassinate her. Ms Jahangir, a former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, has been a long-time critic of human rights violations perpetrated by Pakistan’s security forces.
“Pakistan’s civilian government has a responsibility to protect human rights defenders from attacks by both state and non-state actors,” says Netsanet Belay, Policy and Research Director at CIVICUS. “Repeated silencing of civil society voices is disastrous for the future of political life in the country.”
CIVICUS and Blue Veins urge the Pakistan government to uphold its commitments under the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Pakistan is a party. In particular, the following measures should be taken to stop the cycle of assassinations and attacks on civil society members and journalists: (i) physical security should be provided to individuals reporting threats; (ii) all cases of attacks should be thoroughly investigated by independent law enforcement agencies; (iii) a national policy on the protection of civil society members and journalists should be announced.
