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Pakistan's immigration authorities banned the entry of the Asia Program Coordinator of the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) Steven Butler, saying his name had been placed on a "stop list," a press release said Thursday issued by the agency.<\/p>\n
"Latest [Wednesday] At night, Pakistani immigration authorities denied entry to CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, citing a blacklist administered by the Ministry of Interior, "said CPJ statement.<\/p>\n
"A border officer at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore told Butler that his journalist visa was valid, but it was canceled because his name was & # 39; on a detention list of the Interior Ministry & # 39;" he said Butler<\/p>\n
According to the statement, the airport authorities "confiscated" Butler's passport and forced him to board a flight to Doha. When he arrived in Doha, authorities placed him on a flight to Washington, DC, the statement said.<\/p>\n
While on the flight, Butler told CPJ that the flight crew had confiscated his passport and boarding pass and that he was in "a kind of restrictive custody."<\/p>\n
"The decision of the Pakistani authorities to prevent Steven Butler from entering the country is disconcerting and is a slap in the face of those concerned about press freedom in the country," said CPJ executive director Joel Simon. <\/p>\n
"The Pakistani authorities should give a full explanation of their decision to ban Butler's entry and correct this error. If the government is interested in demonstrating its commitment to the free press, it must conduct a quick and transparent investigation into this case."<\/p>\n
Butler had landed in Lahore to participate in the Asma Jahangir Conference – Roadmap for human rights in Pakistan, according to the statement.<\/p>\n
In September, CPJ had expressed concern about a plan to form "media courts" in the country.<\/p>\n
Last year, the organization released a special report after recording testimonies from journalists in several cities in Pakistan. They said that the climate for press freedom in the country had deteriorated, even though violence and the murder of journalists in general declined.<\/p>\n
CPJ said journalists, including freelancers, had "painted an image of a media under siege."<\/p>\n
Human rights organizations Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP) and Amnesty International expressed alarm over the deportation of Butler and said the decision should be "reevaluated" and "reversed."<\/p>\n
In a tweet, HRCP said he was "disappointed by the government's decision" to deport Butler, adding that the decision "must be reevaluated."<\/p>\n
"On the one hand, the government claims to be building a softer image of Pakistan. On the other hand, it rejects the entry of a renowned international journalist with a valid visa," HRCP said. in a tweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Amnesty International also criticized the measure and said that the deportation of the CPJ official was "an alarming signal that freedom of expression continues to be attacked in Pakistan."<\/p>\n "The decision must be revoked immediately," demanded the rights group in a tweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n