{"id":13622,"date":"2025-07-14T15:05:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=13622"},"modified":"2025-07-14T15:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:05:11","slug":"ifj-calls-on-sc-to-review-new-peca-law-amendments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=13622","title":{"rendered":"IFJ calls on SC to review new PECA law amendments"},"content":{"rendered":"
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to urgently review the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), citing what it says are escalating threats to press freedom and the safety of journalists in the country.<\/p>\n

In a letter addressed to Chief Justice \u2014 and also sent to the prime minister, the chief justice of the Islamabad High Court, and the president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) \u2014 the IFJ said that media professionals in Pakistan are facing mounting dangers while performing their professional duties.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the National Assembly passed a set of amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) under a supplementary agenda, significantly expanding the government\u2019s authority to regulate online content and penalise digital offences. PECA (Amendment) Act 2025 included provisions for the formation of a Digital Rights Protection Authority (DRPA), which will be empowered to remove online content, restrict access to prohibited material, and impose penalties on individuals who share such content.<\/p>\n

The amendments also broadened the definition of \u201csocial media platforms\u201d to encompass tools and software used to access these platforms. The revised law now extends its jurisdiction to include websites, applications and various communication channels. As part of the legislative changes, the FIA Cybercrime Wing is to be disbanded and replaced with a stricter framework of enforcement. Under the new rules, individuals sharing expunged material from parliamentary or provincial assemblies on social media could face imprisonment of up to three years along with a fine of Rs2 million.<\/p>\n

Read: Provinces made party to case against PECA amendments<\/p>\n

\u201cJournalists are being subjected to legal cases, harassment, and threats under the PECA law,\u201d the federation stated, adding that Pakistan\u2019s government is a signatory to international conventions such as those of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations, which obligate it to protect fundamental rights.<\/p>\n

The IFJ noted that recent amendments to PECA have granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) powers to act without a formal complaint \u2014 a move it warns could be used to silence dissent and target journalists arbitrarily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese powers pose a serious risk of suppressing independent journalism and freedom of expression,\u201d the letter said, urging the top court to direct the government to amend the law in consultation with PFUJ and other relevant stakeholders.<\/p>\n

The federation also expressed concern over the bypassing of high courts through direct appeals to the SC, calling it a \u201ccircumvention of judicial process.\u201d<\/p>\n

In its letter, the IFJ reported that at least seven journalists have been killed in Pakistan over the past year, with no perpetrators convicted in cases involving attacks or threats. The latest Press Freedom Report, it said, documented 34 violations, including physical assaults, harassment, online hate campaigns, and intimidation.<\/p>\n

Read more: Back to the cave: Where does PECA take us?<\/p>\n

Media workers, the IFJ said, also face systemic challenges such as non-payment of wages, unlawful dismissals, and significant security risks. Furthermore, legal barriers to unionization have been reinforced by recent state legislation, undermining workers\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cMedia professionals are being deprived of the right to unionize, and they do not have equal access to justice in the courts,\u201d the letter read.<\/p>\n

The IFJ revealed it has dispatched two fact-finding missions to Pakistan, where representatives met with journalists, media owners, PFUJ leadership, and human rights advocates. The federation said it supports PFUJ\u2019s ongoing legal efforts, including a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court, which is still awaiting a final decision.<\/p>\n

Underlining the urgency of the situation, the IFJ appealed to the Chief Justice to immediately initiate a comprehensive judicial review of PECA, especially the amendments that grant sweeping powers to the FIA.<\/p>\n

\u201cImmediate action must be taken to protect press freedom under Article 19 of the Constitution,\u201d the federation concluded.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to urgently review the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), citing what it says are escalating threats to press freedom and the safety of journalists in the country. In a letter addressed to Chief Justice \u2014 and also sent to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}