Pakistani journalist and video blogger Asad Ali Toor was arrested by federal authorities on February 26 on charges of orchestrating a malicious campaign against the state and its officials, with the “objective to coerce, intimidate, and incite violence” against them through his social media platforms.
The Federal Investigation Agency detained Toor for more than eight hours two days earlier, during which he was questioned on the same charges, according to his lawyers. Imaan Mazari-Hazir, the counsel representing Toor, said that her client was brought to a court in Islamabad on the morning of February 27 and was subsequently sent to custody for five days.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent media watchdog working to protect press freedom worldwide, issued a statement condemning Toor’s arrest and demanded his immediate release. Reporters Without Borders, an international media rights group that works to safeguard the right to freedom of information, ranked Pakistan at 150th out of 180 countries in its latest press freedom ranking.
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