ISLAMABAD: Journalist Matiullah Jan was arrested on 27 November following his coverage of opposition protests in Islamabad. Released on bail three days later, he is still facing trumped-up charges of violence against a police officer, death threats, theft of a weapon and possession of narcotics. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns this judicial harassment and calls for the charges against the journalist to be dropped.
“The arrest of journalist Matiullah Jan — a critic of the army and the regime — and the absurd charges brought against him are part of the authorities’ strategy to discredit and silence him. These are disgraceful acts of intimidation and constitute a serious attack on press freedom in a political climate that’s already tense. RSF demands that the unfounded charges against Matiullah Jan be dropped immediately and calls on the Pakistani authorities to put an end to this judicial harassment. The journalists must be guaranteed the right to cover political protests.”
Célia Mercier
Head of RSF’s South Asia Desk
Mati Ullah Jaan’s Case : It is more an Abduction than an Arrest – FIR is False – Tazeen Akhtar
On 27 November, journalists Matiullah Jan of Neo TV and the YouTube channel Matiullah Jan TV, and Saqib Bashir of 92 News, were investigating the controversial death toll in Islamabad’s PIMS hospital following the crackdown on demonstrations organised by the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
These rallies had mobilised over 10,000 PTI supporters to demand the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. At around 11 pm, as they were standing in the hospital car park, the two journalists were arrested by men in black uniforms and taken away, blindfolded, in an unmarked car. Saqib Bashir was released en route.
Matiullah Jan was taken to the police station in the city of Margalla where a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against him during the night. He was charged under an anti-terrorism law and faces multiple charges, including assaulting a police officer, snatching a weapon and possession of narcotics (crystal methamphetamine). The journalist, who was subsequently held in Adiala prison, was finally released on bail on 30 November by an Islamabad anti-terrorism court.
Matiullah Jan had already been kidnapped for a day in July 2020 by intelligence agents, and tortured and threatened with death because of his work, which criticised the government.
Pakistan in the World – December 2024
