Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission on Tuesday demanded immediate removal of all restrictions on journalist Cyril Almeida who has been barred from leaving the country after reporting on a rift between civilian and military leaderships during a key meeting.
All restrictions must be immediately withdrawn and any grievance that the authorities might have against him (Cyril) must be dealt with in accordance with the law, due process and universally acknowledged freedoms of opinion and expression, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said.
“Barring Cyril Almeida from travelling abroad and the apparent pressure on his employers, the highly respected Dawn newspaper, will cause distress to all those, at home and abroad, who believe in the freedom of expression and the rights of journalists. This is not the time to turn the international journalist community against Pakistan,” it said.
“It seems that the authorities are overreacting to a story by Cyril, which touches on journalists’ responsibilities in times of trial,” the commission said in a statement.