PFUJ calls for end to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 10 hours ago | JP Staff Report
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Global impunity for journalist murders persists, with 99 killed this year. Pakistan sees a 60 percent rise in attacks, weak law enforcement, and growing online harassment of women journalists.Summary
ISLAMABAD — Violence against journalists is worsening worldwide, with justice remaining elusive in most cases, Dawn observed in an editorial titled Unanswered murders published Saturday. The paper noted that the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists comes amid an alarming rise in killings and state inaction across multiple countries.
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), at least 99 journalists and media workers have been killed so far in 2025, mostly in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has warned that the persistent failure to prosecute perpetrators emboldens those who target reporters, further eroding the public’s right to know. UNESCO adds that nine out of ten journalist murders remain unsolved, underscoring a deeply entrenched culture of impunity.
Citing examples of slain journalists including Shireen Abu Akleh, Javier Valdez Cárdenas, and Ján Kuciak, Dawn stressed that their families continue to wait for justice while governments evade accountability. The paper described this global indifference as “a moral collapse, not a regional flaw.”
This year’s international theme — “Chat GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists” — highlights the emerging threat of technology-driven abuse. Deepfakes, doxxing, and algorithmic harassment are increasingly used to silence women reporters, often forcing them out of public life. Dawn noted that such digital abuse amounts to “psychological warfare” and deprives society of diverse and fair storytelling.
In Pakistan, the picture remains bleak. The Freedom Network’s 2025 impunity report recorded a 60 percent surge in attacks and legal actions against journalists between November 2024 and September 2025, documenting 142 cases nationwide. Government authorities were implicated in seven out of ten incidents, while Islamabad and Punjab each accounted for 28 percent of violations.
The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) confirmed similar trends, reporting 137 cases of threats, arrests, and assaults during the same period — including 35 physical attacks, eight arrests, and 22 cases under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). Both watchdogs warned that weak enforcement of journalist-safety laws and dormant commissions have rendered legal protections ineffective.
Dawn emphasized that until the state credibly investigates attacks, reforms PECA, and addresses online persecution, especially against women journalists, impunity will continue to reign in Pakistan’s media landscape.
Photo: Representational and AI-generated
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.
November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
October 30, 2025: The PFUJ has condemned a fabricated drug case against journalist Matiullah Jan, calling it an attempt to silence him and urging authorities to quash the charges immediately.
October 30, 2025: NewsOne TV remains on air but faces mass layoffs and delayed salaries, exposing Pakistan’s worsening media crisis and financial instability.
October 28, 2025: Sindh Police arrested four suspects linked to a banned outfit in the murder of journalist Imtiaz Mir, who was shot in Karachi in September 2025.
November 02, 2025 Independent outlet All About Macau to halt print and online operations amid rising pressure, financial strain, and legal threats, sparking press freedom concerns in the city.
November 01, 2025 Belarus court jails journalist Siarhei Chabotska for extremism and defaming the president, highlighting Minsk’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom.
November 01, 2025 Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Beltran was found murdered in Durango. CPJ urges authorities to ensure justice amid rising violence against journalists in Mexico.
November 01, 2025 UNESCO survey finds one-third of media lawyers cannot effectively defend journalists due to threats, limited resources, and lack of specialization.
October 31, 2025 Radio Free Asia, a US government-funded broadcaster covering tightly controlled Asian media environments, has suspended all news operations after federal funding dried up.