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 7 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
BRUSSELS - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has renewed its call for the immediate release of Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as "Shawkan" on the eve of a verdict in his case which is expected on 8 September in Cairo.
Zeid has been behind bars for over five years following his arrest in 2013.
Shawkan is one among more than 700 defendants in a political mass trial in Cairo for whom the “maximum penalty” – death by hanging – was requested by the prosecution on 3 March 2018. He was honored with the UNESCO/Guillermo-Cano World Press Freedom Prize in 2018.
The photojournalist was arrested in Cairo on 14 August 2013, during an assignment for the now-dissolved British photo agency Demotix, when he was covering the police crackdown on protesters in Rabaa Square.
The freelance journalist was allegedly charged with multiple accounts including “damaging national unity”, “terrorizing citizens” and “attempted murder of police officers”. It has been reported that Shawkan, against whom no evidence of the charges of wrongdoing has never been produced, is in poor health and suffers from chronic anaemia and hepatitis C.
In March this year, IFJ president Philippe Leruth wrote a letter to Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in which he expressed grave concern over Shawkan and others journalists’ detention and called on Egyptian authorities to stop arresting and intimidating journalists.
IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger said: “The entire journalism community is gravely concerned for the wellbeing of Shawkan who has endured more than five years in jail despite the failure of the authorities to proof his guilt at trial. The mere fact that he may be facing a death penalty for reporting the truth is a devastating blow to press freedom. This should never happen. We demand President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to do his utmost so that all charges against Shawkan are dropped and our colleague is set free immediately.” – IFJ media release
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 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.
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.
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.