Nov 26, 2010

Balochistan: IFJ Outraged By Murder Of Journalist


 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demands an immediate
investigation into the murder of journalist Abdul Hameed Hayatan in
Balochistan, including a full inquiry into allegations of involvement
of Pakistani security agencies.

 

Below is an article published by WorldScoop:


The body of Hayatan, 25, was found in the village of Hiroonk, near
Turbat, in Pakistan¹s southwest, on November 18.

Known also as Lala Hammed Baloch, Hayatan was found dead in a canal
alongside his friend, Hamid Ismail, after they disappeared from their
home town of Gwadar, in Balochistan¹s west, on October 25, according
to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).

 

Hayatan had been shot in the head and chest and appeared to have been
tortured. A note found with the bodies of Hayatan and Ismail said ³A
Gift of Eid for the Balochs², in reference to the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Local media reported that Hayatan, a reporter with Daily Intekhab and
a founder of the Gwadar Press Club, was allegedly abducted with his
friend by state security agents. Hayatan was also reported to be
active in the Balochistan Nationalist Movement.

The murder of Hayatan brings to 11 the total number of reported deaths
of media workers in Pakistan this year. Four of these deaths have been
in Balochistan

The Balochistan Union of Journalists, an affiliate of the PFUJ, has
long agitated for full inquiries into the murders of media personnel
in Balochistan, and appropriate protection to be provided by
authorities. (See the IFJ¹s 2009 Situation Report on Balochistan
here).

However, authorities have made no arrests for murders of media
personnel in the province, including the case of Chisti Mujahid, a
senior journalist with the weekly Akbar-e-Jehan, who was shot dead in
Quetta in February 2008.

The media community in Gwadar, which staged protests demanding
information about Hayatan¹s disappearance, declared three days of
mourning for the death of their colleague.

³Pakistan¹s state and federal authorities must immediately conduct a
swift and credible investigation into the murder of Abdul Hameed
Hayatan. The allegations of state security involvement must not stand
in the way of a full inquiry and the pursuit of justice to bring the
perpetrators to account,² IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park
said.