By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of journalists across Pakistan took to the streets on Tuesday to protest a proposed law that would regulate social media content, which they say is an attempt to curb press freedom and stifle dissent.
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) amendments, passed by the parliament, establish a regulatory authority with the power to investigate and prosecute individuals for spreading “fake news” online.
Critics say the law is a thinly veiled attempt to silence government critics and suppress freedom of speech.
“It is a direct attack on press freedom,” said Afzal Butt, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), which organized the protests. “Our movement will continue until the law is revoked.”
The proposed law would impose harsh penalties, including up to three years in prison and fines of up to Rs2 million, for those found guilty of disseminating false information.
Journalists and human rights activists say the law is part of a broader effort to crack down on dissent and stifle free speech in the country.
“This is not a matter of fake news; this is a matter of reporting the news,” said Mazhar Abbas, a senior journalist in Karachi. “Those who want to provide the news are picked up. Those who give the news are enforceably disappeared. They are not disappeared through a Peca ordinance.”
The PFUJ has called for nationwide protests, warning that the law will be used to suppress freedom of speech.
Pakistan has a long history of suppressing dissent and restricting press freedom.
In 2016, the government passed the original PECA law, which granted sweeping powers to regulators to block online content deemed illegal.
Since then, journalists and human rights activists say the law has been used to target government critics and suppress dissent.
“The government is trying to control the narrative and suppress dissent,” said Arshad Ansari, secretary general of the PFUJ in Lahore.
“We will not let them succeed.”
The bill now awaits the signature of President Asif Ali Zardari to become law.
If signed, the law will further restrict press freedom in Pakistan, which is already ranked 152 out of 180 countries in terms of press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders.
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