Pakistan journalist arrested over disinformation released

By AFP

The founder of a Pakistani online news channel who was arrested for allegedly spreading disinformation was released on bail on Monday, his lawyer said.

Farhan Mallick, who runs Raftar, was charged after changes to a disinformation law in January saw punishments of up to three years in prison introduced.

Critics say the law is being used to quash dissenting views and control online media.

Mallick's lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii told AFP he was released after offering 100,000 rupees ($354) for each of the two cases he was charged with.

He was arrested more than two weeks ago for "generating and disseminating anti-state publications and videos, with the aim of spreading disinformation and inciting public violence".

He was accused in a second case of credit card fraud.

Another journalist, Muhammed Waheed Murad of the Saudi online media Urdu News, was also accused days later of "online disinformation", before being granted bail.

Both journalists had reported on the alleged role of the powerful military that has ruled the country for several decades, an institution that many mainstream media are careful to avoid criticising.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have sounded the alarm about two brothers of exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani, who police say were "kidnapped" in Islamabad last month.

Journalists have long complained of increasing state pressure on traditional media in Pakistan, ranked 152nd out of 180 countries in RSF's press freedom index.

Social media platform X is officially banned, but accessible using VPNs, while YouTube and TikTok have faced bans in the past.