Newspaper advertisements call for the murder of a human rights lawyer in Punjab; police silently spectate

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-115-2009



9 September 2009
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PAKISTAN: Newspaper advertisements call for the murder of a human rights lawyer in Punjab; police silently spectate

ISSUES: Threats; human rights defenders; religious minorities; blasphemy laws
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a human rights lawyer who offers free legal counsel to victims of the country's harsh blasphemy laws, has escaped an attempt on his life and is receiving continual death threats from Muslim fundamentalist groups. Local police officers have repeatedly rebuffed his requests for help and protection. Announcements have been allowed to be published in newspapers that call for the lawyer's murder as a service to Islam. The willful negligence by the police and the failure of the Pakistani government to address the rights of religious minorities is allowing radicals to intimidate and attack with impunity. The AHRC is gravely concerned for the safety of the victim, and of human rights defenders in Faisalabad.

CASE DETAILS:

Mr. Rao Zafar Iqbal is the executive director of the National Council for Human Rights. According to information provided by the Cathe Foundation Pakistan, a fatwa (religious declaration) was published in the local newspaper Daily Pavel on 4 August (pictured, click for larger image) which stated that Mr. Iqbal is liable to be killed for helping detainee Mohammad Ayube. Ayube is under arrest for claiming to be the prophet (peace be upon him), and a Fatwa was earlier published against him in the Daily Express newspaper and the Daily Pavel.

The fatwa also referred to Iqbal’s legal support of a Christian, Imran Masih, who was falsely charged and wrongly arrested under blasphemy laws earlier this year. (The AHRC issued UAC-089-2009 in support of Masih in July, and his case is currently being personally reviewed by the Chief Minister of Punjab). The fatwa declared that to murder Mr. Iqbal would be doing a service to Islam.

In late July two extremist groups, Jan Nisaran-e-Nabuwat and Aqeeda-e-Tahafuz-e-Kathme Nabuwat, sent threatening letters to the lawyer demanding that he stop giving legal help to religious minorities. Iqbal took one to the City Chief Police Officer (CCPO) in Faisalabad, Punjab province to apply for some form of protection, but says that he was soundly rejected. He suspects that this was because of a grudge held by the district's high ranking police officers. (He has exposed the misconduct of local officers in the media as part of his human rights work).

Five days later the lawyer was shot at twice by two men near his house. A call to police received no response and a case was not lodged until Iqbal approached the CCPO Faisalabad to insist on one being taken against the gunmen (FIR#465 /09 under section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code). But two months later no investigation has started. Iqbal continues to receive threats from anonymous callers who tell him that he will not escape so easily next time. He has tried to report them to the CCPO but says he has been met with dismissive remarks and advice to simply stop his activities as human rights defender.

This is a curious response from a senior law enforcement officer asked for protection by a victim of violent crime, and it shows how cleanly the system in Pakistan has broken from the path of law and order. It also begs the question: what exactly are the police for? To see almost no adherence to criminal procedure and no will to confront extreme acts of religious hatred--in the streets and in newspapers--is a grave sign, as is the apparent comfort of the official in this role and his easy abuse of his position to satisfy a vendetta. This incident of police inaction, like many reported by the AHRC (including recently, UAC-045-2009 and UAC-097-2009) makes a case for a widespread reform and review of policing.

However lasting change will not come until there is real political will behind it, and recent history has shown little interest from the Pubjab government in tackling radical religious discrimination. Instead political expediency appears to take priority. During the most recent provincial elections the chief minister ran uncontested; there were many reports alleging the intimidation of potential opposition candidates by groups such as Sipaha-e-sahaba, notorious for its virulent attacks against Shiite Muslims, Ahmadis and Christians.
Without political reform and stronger restrictions to prevent ministerial corruption, religious minorities and human rights defenders will continue to live and operate in fear.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the relevant authorities urging them to investigate the attack on Mr. Rao Zafar Iqbal, and reminding the government and law enforcement officials of their responsibilities to protect minority groups and human rights defenders.

The AHRC has written to the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders informing her of this case.

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