記協促請巴基斯坦撤銷新聞自由限制

由於新聞工作者在巴基斯坦工作情況每下愈況,嚴重受損,香港記者協會在「全球行動日」前夕,向巴基斯坦駐港總領事館遞交請願信(見附件,只有英文),促請巴基斯坦政府立即撤銷所有對傳媒的審查和控制,並採取一切行動,確保新聞工作者能如常工作。

今天是由巴基斯坦記者工會聯合會和國際記者聯會發動的「全球行動日」,獲全球各地新聞組織和記者響應,齊聲呼籲巴基斯坦政府撤銷緊急狀態令,並信守該國早前捍衛言論自由的承諾。

本會已向巴基斯坦領事館發出以下公開信(英文版本):

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Mr. Tariq Shafi Chak

Consul General of Pakistan
Room 3706
China Resources Building
26 Harbour Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
14th November 2007
Dear Sir,
The Hong Kong Journalists Association, the sole trade union for the frontline journalists, wish to express our strong condemnation of actions taken by the Government of President Pervez Musharraf in recent days which have accompanied the imposition of emergency powers.
This has involved the suspension of democratic rule and a national clampdown on the media, including the installation of military personnel in television stations, the closure of domestic airwaves to non-state media and the banning of anti-government reports in the press.
Orders have been issued that have the effect of trying to impose censorship on media and that carry with them punitive fines and jail sentences for media that do not comply.
We fully support the protests of the International Federation of Journalists and our colleagues in the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) over these actions and their impact on the media.
We are disturbed to learn of police raids on several broadcasting stations in Islamabad and Karachi, with the confiscation of material and equipment, and we condemn the closure of all private news channels and the decision to order FM radio news outlets off the air and we deplore the efforts of the government to impose censorship through intimidation of media.
We believe that the challenges facing Pakistan cannot be solved by actions that prevent journalists from doing their work and that put our colleagues at risk of their personal safety. Such actions will only encourage fear, ignorance and rumour within the population at large.
We urge your Government to take immediate steps to lift the imposition of censorship and controls on print and broadcast media and we call on you to take whatever steps are necessary to protect journalists in their work.
In this regard we support fully the calls by the IFJ and the PFUJ for a Global Day of Action on Thursday 15 November against the actions of the Pakistan government. We express our full solidarity with colleagues in Pakistan in their demands for a return to the rule of law and democracy, including press freedom and freedom of expression for all.
We ask you to do what you can to ensure that free journalism and democracy are reinstated in Pakistan without any delay.
Yours Sincerely,
    Fan Ho Tsai
Chairperson, HKJA
記協就近日記者遇襲事件致函警務處長
記協致警務處長公開信