According to Freedom Network, at least 33 journalists were murdered for their journalism work in Pakistan during the past six years, including seven in the past one year (November 2018 to October 2019) alone, Dawn reported on November 1. The new report titled ‘100% Impunity for Killers, 0% Justice for Pakistan’s Murdered Journalists: Crime and Punishment in Pakistan’s Journalism World’ issued a ‘Pakistan Impunity Scorecard’ which reveals frightening statistics. The report is released ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists observed by the United Nations on November 2 every year.
According to the Pakistan Impunity Scorecard, a total of 32 FIRs were registered for the murder of 33 journalists during the period 2013-19, of which police could file challan (charge-sheet) in only 20 cases — or in 60 per cent of cases. Out of 33 cases, the courts declared only 20 cases fit for trial (60pc) of which prosecution and trial was completed in only six cases — only 18pc. In these six cases, the killer was convicted in just one case but escaped punishment after successfully overturning the conviction at the appeal stage after which the family of the murdered journalist abandoned its pursuit for justice for lack of resources. The above statistics include the cases of seven journalists murdered in Pakistan in the past one year (between November 2018 and October 2019). According to the report, FIRs were registered in all seven cases, but charge-sheet was filed by the police in only four cases (57pc).
Meanwhile, Pakistan, which ranks 142 on the World Press Freedom index, is among the 13 countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go free due to “unchecked corruption, ineffective institutions, and lack of political will to pursue robust investigations,” the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has found, The Express Tribune reported on October 29. The 2019 Global Impunity Index examined journalists’ murders that were carried out with complete impunity between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2019. At least 16 such cases were found in Pakistan, and the country has regularly featured on the index since its inception twelve years ago. Of the murdered Pakistani journalists mentioned in the CPJ database, seven belonged to TV channels, seven were associated with print and online editions whereas one of them was a freelancer. As for their provincial affiliation, seven of them were killed in Balochistan as compared to five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two each in Sindh and Punjab.