UN Human Rights expert asks Pakistani Authorities to locate and Protect 4 Disappeared Activists

UN Human Rights expert asks Pakistani Authorities to locate and Protect 4 Disappeared Activists

United Nations, Jan 12, 2017: An expert of United Nations human rights asked the Pakistani authorities to make it a top priority to locate and protect four disappeared human rights and social media campaigners, saying no government should tolerate attacks on its citizens.

NewsGram brings to you current foreign news from all over the world.

"I strongly urge the Government of Pakistan to take every step possible to locate the four missing activists, a first step toward re-emphasizing its commitment to freedom of expression at the beginning of the year," said David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of expression, in a news release from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

NewsGram brings to you top news around the world today.

Waqas Goraya, Asim Saeed, Salman Haider and Ahmed Raza Naseer are the four activists who went missing this month. They had been accused of promoting blasphemy, a criminal offense in Pakistan.

The human rights expert said "No government should tolerate attacks on its citizens."

"By making the investigation of these disappearances an urgent priority, the Pakistani authorities can send a strong signal that they take seriously the responsibility for the life and security of all of its citizens, particularly in cases involving freedom of expression."

Check out NewsGram for latest international news updates.

"Free expression campaigners and experts have long called for the abolition of criminal blasphemy provisions in Pakistan, which may carry the death penalty," Kaye said to PTI.

"Not only are such laws incompatible with international human rights law, but they also facilitate threats by state and non-state actors seeking to target expression."

The Special Rapporteur stressed that "all States have an obligation to promote a diverse space and culture for expression, but such culture does not create itself.

prepared by Saptaparni Goon of NewsGram. Twitter: @saptaparni_goon

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
NewsGram
www.newsgram.com