CPJ urges Pakistan to free two convicted journalists
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 19 January 2017
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The CPJ has urged the Pakistani government to free two journalists sentenced to five years each for defamation. Their conviction relates to reporting on alleged wrongdoing by a property developer.Summary
ISLAMABAD - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Pakistan to free two local journalists who were convicted on defamation charges.
A statement from CPJ says the two, who worked for a regional language newspaper, were sentenced to five years each. CPJ is an international media freedom watchdog.
Thursday's statement quotes court documents as saying that Ikhlaque Ahmed Jokhio and Qurban Ali Gadehi, who work for a Sindhi-language weekly, were sentenced on January 9.
The charges against them were related to a series of reports they wrote about an alleged desecration of a graveyard by a property developer.
The New York-based group warns that journalists should not be imprisoned simply for doing their job of reporting.
Pakistan is considered one of the worst places to work for journalists. - AP
Key Points
- CPJ urges Pakistan to release convicted journalists.
- Ikhlaque Ahmed Jokhio and Qurban Ali Gadehi sentenced to five years.
- Charges stemmed from reports on alleged graveyard desecration.
- CPJ emphasizes the need for journalists to work freely.
- Pakistan is known for its hostile environment for journalists.
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