Tuesday, February 18, 2025
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HRCP urges open Senate debate on controversial PECA

CT Newsroom

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has demanded an open debate on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act(Peca), 2025 in the Senate.

Reportedly, the HRCP has called the federal government to ensure the open debate on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 in the Senate. They termed the latest amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) “disproportionate, non-transparent and anti-free speech” and would lead to a serious risk of silencing dissenting voices and suppressing critical journalism.

The HRCP called on the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government to ensure that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 was openly debated in the Senate after being crushed by the ruling coalition in the National Assembly.

The HRCP also warned that the bill, if it becomes law then it might be used to target political workers, human rights defenders, and journalists for criticizing state institutions.

The HRCP also shows concern over the emphasis on “fake or false news” in Section 26-A of the bill saying “the draft failed to satisfactorily define fake news”.

“[The] HRCP reminds the government that digital freedoms have already been over-regulated,” said the human rights watchdog in a post on X.

If the bill becomes law, it will allow the authority to require social media platforms to register with it in a specified way and pay a set fee, the human rights watchdog added.

The HRCP today said that the proposed legislation refers to unclear outcomes such as public “fear, panic or disorder or unrest”.

It is worth mentioning here that apart from the HRCP, the proposed amendments have also displeased journalist bodies with the Joint Action Committee (JAC)— comprising the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Association Of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) — announcing that they will approach the court against the bill and launch a protest movement.

“The focus of this bill is not just social media, but also electronic and print media’s digital platforms, with the aim of criminalizing dissenting opinions,” said the JAC in a statement.

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