PECA Pakistan govt agrees to withdraw PECA ordinance amid opposition pressure
Islamabad: Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said he has agreed to the opposition’s demand of withdrawing the Pakistan Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act ordinance 2022 (PECA) ordinance following the deliberations and finalisation of draft by joint action committee members.
The PTI minister said this while speaking in a private news channel when the news anchor asked him if he was willing to withdraw the ordinance and sit with the joint action committee members, The News International reported.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have urged Pakistan to repeal amendments to the "draconian" Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA) Ordinance, terming it the latest in a "concerted campaign to restrict freedom of expression and stifle dissent".
On Feb 18, the Pakistan government passed an ordinance amending PECA to make online “defamation” of authorities a criminal offence with harsh penalties.
“PECA has been used to silence freedom of expression on the pretext of combating 'fake news,' cyber crime, and misinformation,” Nadia Rahman, acting Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
“This amendment not only violates the Pakistan Constitution, but also puts anyone who questions the government or other state institutions at further risk. It particularly endangers journalists, human rights defenders, and political opponents who run the risk of prosecution for merely doing their jobs.”
The statement said that the amendment makes defamation a non-bailable offence, and increases the maximum prison term, if convicted, from three to five years.
It also expands the definition of those who can initiate criminal proceedings for defamation, allowing any person or institution to register the complaint.
On February 23, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) restrained the Federal Investigative Agency from making any arrests under the ordinance, reported The Tribune.
"While this offers temporary relief, it is not enough to mitigate the grave impact that the amendment will have on Pakistan's already imperilled freedom of expression by potentially putting anyone at risk of criminal charges for expressing their views online," HRW and Amnesty said.
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