Death threats to Express Tribune journalist for reporting on religious minorities

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 8 June 2017

Rana Tanveer, a journalist with the Express Tribune, received death threats following his coverage of religious minorities. The International Federation of Journalists has urged the Pakistani government to ensure his safety and investigate the threats.

Summary

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the death threats to Lahore-based journalist Rana Tanveer which followed his writing about religious minorities.

The IFJ Thursday urged the Pakistan government to ensure security to the journalist and launch an investigation into the case.

Tanveer, senior reporter with the Express Tribune newspaper, said that he found his home vandalized and the door painted with a threat that reads, “Qadiani nawaz Rana Tanveer kafir wajib ul qatl, (Qadiani supporter Rana Tanveer is a non-believer who deserves to be killed)”. His landlord had also received calls from unknown numbers asking to evict him calling him an ‘enemy of Islam’.

Tanveer has passionately covered issues relating to religious minorities and human rights. The journalist has reported the threats to the police, but claims that the police has shown little interest and has not even registered a case.

Bilal Farooqi, news editor at the Express Tribune, tweeted: “Government must provide security to journalist Rana Tanveer. Extremists vandalize his house, declare him Kafir (non-believer) for writing on Ahmadi issues.”

The IFJ said: “The IFJ condemns the death threats and harassment to journalist Rana Tanveer and urges the Pakistan government to ensure his safety by providing him security and investigating the threats. Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries for the journalists, and incidents of press freedom violations need to be properly investigated to ensure that journalists remain safe.” - IFJ media release/Image: Twitter