Media rights groups condemn sentencing Pakistani journalist in Afghanistan

By Mirwais Jalalzai

Afghan and international media rights groups are condemning the sentence of a Pakistani journalist by a court in eastern Nangarhar province, located near the Durand line.

On July 12 Khan, a reporter for ARY News TV based in Karachi, was sentenced to four years in jail for entering Afghanistan without proper documentation. A local court in Jalalabad dropped espionage charges that had also been made against him. Khan was on an assignment to interview a Taliban leader when he was arrested.

Afghan authorities had accused Khan of spying but no formal espionage charges were brought against him, according to ARY News officials.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in its criticism of the harsh prison sentence imposed on TV journalist Faizullah Khan and is demanding the Afghan government immediately review the case with a view to granting Khan early release.

The Pakistani journalist was arrested in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar in April after traveling to the nearby Pakistani city of Peshawar to interview members of the Taliban. The IFJ urges the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments to act swiftly for the safe return of the journalist and to respect the rights of journalists gathering information.

The IFJ said: “It is deplorable the court has handed down such an excessive punishment when Faizullah Khan was merely carrying out his duty as a journalist. Journalists continue to take huge risks to investigate stories for the betterment of the society. We strongly believe this situation could be handled better rather than recourse to a wildly excessive jail term.” Reporters Without Borders and the Pakistani NGO Freedom Network on Wednesday called for Afghan authorities to quash the “utterly disproportionate” sentence on appeal.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are dangerous regions for journalists to operate in, with poor safety and security situations, and impunity in attacks on journalists. The IFJ urges journalists operating in the region to remain vigilant about the possible dangers especially when traveling to remote areas.

The Pakistani Embassy in Kabul is said to be involved to helping Khan in his legal fight.