19.9 C
Athens
Παρασκευή, 1 Νοεμβρίου, 2024

US State Dept report paints grim picture of human rights abuses in Pakistan

Περισσότερα Νέα

- Advertisement -

Citing numerous cases of extrajudicial killings, suppression of media freedom and highlighting ‘pervasive corruption’ in politics and the government, the US State Department report painted a grim picture of human rights abuses in Pakistan. Pakistan 2021 Human Rights Report released on Wednesday listed gross human rights violations committed against various groups, including journalists and there was no respect for civil liberties, according to the report. It noted that the law provides criminal penalties for official corruption but the government generally did not implement the law effectively and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices, reported The Express Tribune.

“Corruption was pervasive in politics and government, and various politicians and public office-holders faced allegations of corruption, including bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement,” according to the State Department. The State Department said that there was a lack of government accountability, and abuses, including corruption, often went unpunished, fostering a culture of impunity among perpetrators, whether official or unofficial.

The authorities seldom punished government officials for reported human rights abuses or acts of corruption, it added. The report noted that the government continued its corruption investigations and prosecutions of opposition political party leaders during the year, with high-profile actions brought against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, and senior members of the opposition parties, including the JUI-F. But, it added, the opposition parties alleged that the prosecutions selectively targeted their leadership, reported The Express Tribune.

The State Department added that reports of corruption in the judicial system persisted, including reports that court staff requested payments to facilitate administrative procedures. Lower courts reportedly remained corrupt, inefficient, and subject to pressure from higher-ranking judges as well as prominent, wealthy, religious, and political figures, according to the report. The State Department added that significant human rights issues in Pakistan also included credible reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings, political prisoners; politically motivated reprisal against individuals in another country, including killings, kidnappings, or violence; arbitrary interference with privacy and support to the Taliban.

There were also serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence against journalists, unjustified arrests and disappearances of journalists, censorship, and criminal defamation laws; serious restrictions on internet freedom including site blocking, reported The Express Tribune. Journalists faced threats, harassment, and violence. The State Department has mentioned false cases and harassment faced by many journalists, in its report. According to the report, both the military, through its media wing, and government oversight bodies, such as the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, enforced censorship. Journalists alleged PEMRA issued editorial directives to television stations, and media outlets claimed the government pressured stations to halt broadcasting of interviews with selected opposition political party leaders, reported The Express Tribune.

- Advertisement -

ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΤΕ

εισάγετε το σχόλιό σας!
παρακαλώ εισάγετε το όνομά σας εδώ

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Ροή ειδήσεων

ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ

China Tries to Blot out Tibetan Criticism of Mining Firm’s Damage to the Environment 

Chinese censors are trying to prevent people from viewing posts that allege severe environmental damage in Tibet caused by sand mining. A young Tibetan man...

Protests erupt in Balochistan as citizens demand justice amid rising violence

Amid ongoing atrocities and lawlessness in Balochistan, a protest took place in Buleda as residents rallied for the immediate arrest of the killers of...

Chinese armed forces are not as strong as they seem, according to experts

China is seen as a formidable power due to its robust economic growth and military expansion in recent decades, but if experts are to...

Evolving Chinese Ransomware Attacks: Serious Threat to Global Cyberspace Ecosystem

Ransomware is a type of malware that blackmails users for ransom by blocking access to devices or data. In general ransomware can be categorized...

ΔΗΜΟΦΙΛΗ ΑΡΘΡΑ

Έτσι θα μοιάζουν τα ελληνικά F-16 με τους ισραηλινούς βαλλιστικούς πυραύλους Rampage

Σύμφωνα με τον ελληνικό και ξένο τύπο η ελληνική πολεμική αεροπορία κινείται ταχύτατα προς την απόκτηση του ισραηλινού πυραύλου Rampage για τα μαχητικά F-16...

Belharra: Μπήκε και το Setis στην Κίμων – Όλα αλλάζουν

Αλλάζουν τα πάντα σιγά σιγά στο ελληνικό Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, καθώς μέρα με τη μέρα οι νέες ελληνικές φρεγάτες αποκτούν όλο και μεγαλύτερες δυνατότητες. Έτσι, μετά της...

Το Ισραήλ βομβάρδισε αποθήκες όπλων της Χεζμπολάχ στη Συρία: Και νέες επιθέσεις της ισραηλινής αεροπορίας σε νότια προάστια της πρωτεύουσας του Λιβάνου 

Το λιβανικό επίσημο πρακτορείο ειδήσεων μεταδίδει πως εξαπολύθηκαν τουλάχιστον δέκα βομβαρδισμοί νωρίς σήμερα το πρωί σε νότια προάστια της Βηρυτού, έπειτα από διαταγές του...

Μπλίνκεν: Οι βορειοκορεάτες στρατιώτες θα αναπτυχθούν τις επόμενες μέρες στην Ουκρανία

Οι ΗΠΑ εκτιμούν ότι οι βορειοκορεάτες στρατιώτες που βρίσκονται στη Ρωσία θα αναπτυχθούν τις προσεχείς ημέρες στα πεδία των μαχών στην Ουκρανία, όπως είπε...