Latest Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) News & Updates

Civil Society Urges Pakistan Govt to Support Bail for Human Rights Lawyers

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Islamabad, May 11 (IANS) Over 100 civil society organisations, lawyers, journalists, academics and human rights defenders have called on Pakistan’s federal government to refrain from opposing the bail of human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha ahead of a scheduled hearing in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.In a joint statement, the signatories expressed grave concern over their continued incarceration in a case related to online expression under the Prevention of Elect…

Journalists in Quetta Rally for Media Independence

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Quetta, May 4 (IANS) Journalists in Pakistan’s Quetta have expressed their commitment to defending media independence, pledging to continue their struggle for freedom of expression and rejecting “black laws” restricting rights of press, local media reported on Monday. A large number of journalists carrying banners and placards highlighting their demands gathered outside the Quetta Press Club. Journalists shouted slogans against restrictive legislation, especially the Prevention of Electronic Cri…

Pakistan’s Media Freedom Under Threat Due to Regulatory Repression

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Islamabad, April 30 (IANS) Pakistan’s media landscape saw a reduction in space for free expression during the past year due to increasing legal, regulatory, and economic and other pressures, Islamabad-based media watchdog Freedom Network detailed in a report. Titled ‘Regulatory Repression of Freedom of Expression – Legal Controls and PECA Undermine Media and Journalism in Pakistan’, the report stated that the amended Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) law is the most “consequential i…

Global Alliance Urges Pakistani PM to Stop Harassment of Activists and Journalists

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Johannesburg, April 1 (IANS) CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, has called on the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to end what it described as the continued harassment of activists and journalists as well as crackdown on protests across Pakistan. According to the organisation, more than two years since the Sharif-led coalition government came to power, Islamabad has failed to create an enabling environment for citizens and civil society to exercise their freedoms.Over the last two …