Urgent petition filed with UN Special Rapporteur over media restrictions and election interference in Pakistan

Citizens against State Torture (CAST) have filed an urgent petition with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of expression and opinion following serious allegations of restrictions on media reporting about former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf political party and corresponding restrictions on access to social media and the internet. CAST consider these restrictions have limited the rights of Pakistani citizens as a whole and are particularly concerning in the context of the recent Pakistani national elections.

CAST are a campaigning group of medics, lawyers and human rights activists concerned with the breakdown of civil society and rights in Pakistan. CAST’s complaint details the increasing restrictions on free expression and reporting about Imran Khan and the PTI including explicit censorship of images of or references to Imran Khan in media. CAST’s petition outlined how restrictions on open media reporting, particularly in the context of the Pakistani election, breached Pakistani citizens’ rights to seek and access information and necessarily impacted their rights to participate in free and fair democratic elections.

The petition requested the UN Special Rapporteur take urgent action including contacting the Pakistani Government and issuing a public statement of concern. 

Rosa Polaschek was instructed to draft and file the petition by Tayab Ali and Ruaa Kamaran of Bindmans LLP on behalf of CAST.

The petition was announced at a CAST press conference, available here.

Media coverage: Middle East Eye