CPJ Urges Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif to Halt Detention and Deportation of Afghan Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take immediate action to stop the harassment, detention, and deportation of Afghan journalists in the country. The organization warned that forcibly returning these journalists to Afghanistan could expose them to risks such as arrest, retaliation, and other threats.
This appeal was made on Wednesday, coinciding with the 27th of Hoot, Afghanistan’s National Journalists Day. CPJ announced that it has joined a joint campaign by Reporters Without Borders and Free Press Unlimited aimed at ending the arbitrary detentions and deportations of Afghan exiled journalists in Pakistan.
In an earlier letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister, these organizations highlighted that Afghan journalists have been targeted by security forces amid border tensions. They stressed that Pakistani authorities must adhere to the principle of non-refoulement, a part of international law that prohibits returning individuals to places where their life or freedom would be at risk.
A significant number of Afghan journalists fled to neighboring countries including Pakistan following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, due to security threats and widespread media restrictions. Freedom of expression advocates warn that forced return could expose these individuals to prosecution, detention, and severe professional restrictions.
The statement also emphasized the need to establish a temporary protective framework for Afghan migrants awaiting resettlement in third countries, an action that could mitigate the heightened vulnerabilities faced by this group in the current circumstances.
