Peca amendments ‘reinforce censorship’: RSF

KARACHI: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that the Pakistani government’s recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) have intensified threats to press freedom, allowing for greater censorship and repression of journalists. RSF, a non-profit dedicated to the defence and promotion of freedom of information, has reiterated its call for the law’s repeal, arguing it suppresses dissent rather than combating disinformation.

The Pakistan government had introduced amendments to the Peca law last month, reducing the jail term for “intentionally disseminating false and fake information” from seven to three years. The amendments include new definitions, the creation of regulatory and investigative bodies, and stricter penalties for spreading ‘false’ information.

The statement by RSF, released on Monday (February 10), also quoted Head of RSF’s South Asia Desk Celia Mercier as saying that “Under the guise of combating disinformation, Pakistan is taking censorship to a new level”. Saying that the law’s text’s “vague definition of false and prohibited content conceals a formidable legal weapon for blocking information”, Mercier added that RSF called for the “immediate repeal of Peca and its new amendments, which are a dangerous tool in the hands of the authorities”.

RSF’s statement also said that the amendments to Peca “further exacerbate the threat this legislation poses to journalists in Pakistan”. Outlining some of the details of the amendments, the statement went on to ask the Pakistani authorities to repeal the act and its amendments since they “do not combat disinformation but stifle press freedom and reinforce censorship”.

RSF noted that the amendment had been adopted in less than 15 minutes by the National Assembly and approved by the Senate a few days later. Some of the issues highlighted by RSF include the fact that some of the categories of online content deemed unlawful by the amendments “are very vaguely defined”; a suspect can be arrested without a warrant; and “anyone — even if they are not directly affected by the content — can file a complaint by claiming to have ‘substantial reasons to believe that the offence has been committed’”.

RSF also pointed to the ensuing protests by journalists after the amendments had been passed, observing that journalists had held a ‘black day on January 31 and that the Joint Action Committee (JAC),” which brings together several journalist organisations, published a statement condemning a ratification process that was executed ‘hastily and without meaningful engagement with the stakeholders’.”

Referring to journalists’ bodies petitioning courts in this matter, the statement also noted how “lawsuits against Peca have multiplied across the country”.