A report of the Freedom Network launched on the eve of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, said that nearly two dozen journalists in Pakistan were charged in the last two years and most of them were prosecuted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), reported local media.
Section 20, which criminalises online defamation, and carries a three-year jail term, and up to one million rupees in fine, is the most frequently invoked section of the PECA against journalists, reported The News International.
The report stated, "Opinions or criticism of the military and the intelligence agencies is the most frequent complaint against journalists pursued under the PECA."
"Criticism in general - whether against the executive (both civilian and military) or the judiciary triggered the most complaints against journalists pursued under the PECA law. The prime nature of the complaint was alleged defamation," it read.
Executive director of Freedom Network, Iqbal Khattak said that Pakistani journalists are using online spaces increasingly to share independent news and critical commentary that are suppressed on traditional media.
Further, Khattak stressed that a "corresponding increase in efforts to control online expression, either legally or through coordinated digital campaigns against journalists" have been noted, according to The News International.
The PECA has emerged as the primary legal instrument to intimidate and silence journalists in Pakistan in recent years as it criminalises online expression, as per the report.
Punjab has turned out to be the most dangerous region for journalists when it comes to being targeted under the PECA as 10 of the 23 reported cases were from Punjab; Islamabad followed with eight cases, the key findings of the report suggested.
Nearly two-thirds of the complainants are from private citizens whereas opinions or criticism of the military and the intelligence agencies is the most frequent complaint pursued under the PECA.
( With inputs from ANI )
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