Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) slams censoring of magazine
New York- The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the decision of Pakistani censors to order the removal of an article from the September 3 edition of Newsweek as a condition of the magazine’s distribution in the country.
The censored article, titled “Talking is Dangerous,” highlights the prosecution of Shaikh Mohammed Younus, a professor recently sentenced to death under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws for allegedly insulting the Holy prophet (PBUH).
“By censoring an article that spotlights threats to free speech in Pakistan, authorities only bolster their country’s reputation for intolerance,” said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. “Directly or indirectly, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are increasingly used to curb the press,” he added.
Recounting the previous episodes of similar incidents, the CPJ said that on January 29, police in Peshawar, Northwest Frontier Province, shut down the offices of The Frontier Post after the newspaper published a letter to the editor titled “Why Muslims Hate Jews.” which included derogatory references to the prophet (PBUH).
Though the newspaper repeatedly apologized for publishing the letter, which management said was included by mistake, seven employees face blasphemy charges. The Frontier Post was forced to suspend publication until June 26, when it was relaunched from Lahore.
On June 3, police in Abbottabad sealed the offices of Mohasib, a local Urdu-language daily, and brought blasphemy charges against journalists at the paper. The charges arose from a May 29 article that contested the view of certain Muslim clerics that a beardless man cannot be a good Muslim and criticized the exploitation of religious faith for personal gain. Jamil Yousaf, the free-lance journalist who wrote the article, also faces blasphemy charges for the piece.
Source: Dawn
Date:9/6/2001
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