ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-097-2009
13 August 2020
PAKISTAN: A human rights
activist faces terrorism charges for
publicising the murder of Christians, while the mullahs who encouraged
the violence remain free
ISSUES: Murder; minority
groups; police negligence
The Asian Human
Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that an activist
working for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the
Labour Party of Pakistan, has been arrested and remanded on charges of
terrorism and disturbing the peace. The charges disproportionately refer
to demonstrations he helped organise against the burning murders of a
number of Christians and the burning of their houses by Muslim
extremists. Police have not arrested those who incited the violence by
using the loudspeakers of mosques, which is illegal in Pakistan.
CASE DETAILS:
Mr. Tariq Mehmood
(24) and his friends and colleagues were the first to arrive at the site
of the attack in Korian village (Tehsil Gojra, Punjab) on July 31, where
six Christians, two of them women, had been set alight and murdered that
day. A number of houses had also been set on fire. Mehmood was the first
to spread the news among media and human rights organisations in the
area. However the following day the community was attacked again by a
few hundred-strong crowd of Muslims, most, according to eyewitnesses,
from the banned sectarian group
Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP). The police officers there allegedly did nothing to
diffuse the situation or stop the attacks and witnesses have
reported two more
deaths and a number of rapes. Also disturbing are reports that more than
30 girls from the community have been missing since the attack.
Later that day
Mehmood joined a team of activists to gather information at the site,
and he issued a press release on behalf of the Labour Party, also
proposing that a 'black day' of protest be held on 11 August. Mehmood
also helped journalists from out of town and was present when community
members, Muslim and Christian, blocked the town's train services with
some of the corpses. (The crowd demanded legal action against the
District Police Office and District
Coordination Officer for their failure to protect, and these were
finally filed. A Lahore High Court judge is investigating the case).
However on 10 August we are told that Mehmood was informally asked to
meet and 'talk' with the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr.
Ahmed Javed, in the Toba Tek Singh district, and was asked to call off
the Black Day protest. He refused. He was sent to Gojra police station
under arrest. The charges – under the Article 7 of the Anti Terrorist
Act and article 13 of Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance and article
152 of the Criminal Procedure Code among others – refer to his party
press release as 'pamphlets'.
In a Faisalabad
Anti Terrorist Court session, police asked that Mehmood be physically
remanded (placing him in their custody and at risk of torture) but the
judge instead ordered judicial remand at Toba Tek Singh jail. These
charges against Mehmood should not be taken lightly; they can be met
with a death sentence.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Inquiries by
various human rights organisations strongly indicate that the attacks
and murders were pre-planned, and they are accusing the local
administration of extreme negligence. The SSP members arrived on private
buses organised from nearby villages, armed with home-made bombs. As a
banned Muslim militant
organisation, the SSP seems have had little restrictions placed upon
its actions by the police in recent times; media and rights groups are
linking this to the support the SSP has given the provincial government,
lead by the Sharif brothers, in the past.
Though it is
illegal for the loud speakers in mosques to be used for nything other
than Friday sermons in Arabic and the call to prayer, we have received
reports that certain mosques broadcast comments and ccusations against
Christians in that area for two days; some of them ithin hearing range
of police stations. Up to 64 rioters have been rrested, but the mullahs
responsible for inciting the violenceallegedly remain at large;
therefore one of the biggest roots of the sectarian violence in Pakistan
– misconduct by its religions leaders rmains unaddressed.
The Anti-terrorist Act has instead been used against a human rights
defender on the basis of a press release he wrote criticizing the
violence. The Asian Human Rights Commission would like to highlight the
absurdity of applying the acts below to the rights defender and not the
inciters of the violence.
Anti Terrorist Act, Article 7:
'Prohibition of
acts intended or likely to stir up sectarian hatred.
---A person who--¬(a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or
behaviors, or (b) displays, publishes or distributes any written
material which is threatening, abusive or insulting; or (c) distributes
or shows or plays a recording of visual images or sounds recording of
visual images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting; or
(d) has in his possession written material or a recording or visual
images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting with a view
to their being displayed or published by himself or another.'
'Whoever commits a
terrorist act shall--- (1) if such act has resulted in the death of any
person be punished with death; and (ii) in any other case be punishable
with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years
but may extend to life imprisonment, and shall also be liable to fine.'
Maintenance of Public
Order Ordinance, article 13:
'Whoever
contravenes any provision of this Ordinance or disobeys or neglects to
comply with any order made or direction given in accordance with its
provisions shall, where no express provision is made by this Ordinance
for the punishment of such contravention disobedience, or negligence, be
punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with
fine, or with both.'
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to
the authorities listed below, demanding the withdrawal of terrorism
charges against Tariq Mehmood and an investigation into how such charges
were able to be filed. Please also demand the arrest of those who used
loud speakers to incite sectarian murder.
To support this
urgent appeal please click here:
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear ________
RE: PAKISTAN: A
human rights activist faces terrorism charges for publicising the murder
of Christians, while the mullahs who incited the violence remain free
Name of the
Victim: Mr. Tariq Mehmood, son of Mohammad Tufail Ansari. Resident of
village Basti Danishmandan, Chak no. 264, G-B, Toba Tek Singh district.
Punjab
Names of the
perpetrators:
1. Mr. Ahmed Javed,
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Toba Tek Singh district.
2. Station Head Officer (SHO), Toba Tek police station, Punjab
3. District Police Officer (DCO), Toba Tek district, Punjab
Place of incident: Toba Tek police station, Punjab
Date of incident: 10 August 2020
I am writing to
register my deep concern regarding the arrest of Tariq Mehmood, an
activist working for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and
the Labour Party of Pakistan, on charges of terrorism and disturbing the
peace. The charges disproportionately refer to demonstrations he helped
arrange after the burning murders of a number of Christians, and the
burning of their houses by Muslim extremists. Police have not arrested
those who incited the violence using the loudspeakers of mosques, which
is illegal in Pakistan.
According to the
information I have received Mehmood joined a team of activists to gather
information at the site of the attacks, and issued a press release on
behalf of his Labour party. He also announced an upcoming 'black day'
for 11 August to protest against the murders and the lack of protection
arranged for the Christian victims.
On 10 August I am
told that he was informally asked to meet and 'talk' with the deputy
superintendent of police (DSP), Mr. Ahmed Javed, in the Toba Tek Singh
district. Mehmood reportedly was asked and refused to call off the
upcoming Black Day protest and was sent to Gojra police station under
arrest. The charges – under article 7 of the Anti Terrorist Act, article
13 of Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance and article 152 of the
Criminal Procedure Code among others – refer to his party press release
as 'pamphlets'.
In a Faisalabad
Anti Terrorist court session, police asked that Mehmood be physically
remanded (placing him in their custody and I believe, at risk of abuse)
but the judge fortunately ordered judicial remand at Toba Tek Singh
jail.
Though it is
illegal for the loud speakers in mosques to be used for anything other
than Friday sermons in Arabic and the call to prayer, we have received
reports that certain mosques broadcast comments and accusations against
Christians in that area for two days; some of them within hearing range
of police stations.
Though up to 64
rioters have been arrested, the mullahs responsible for inciting the
violence allegedly remain at large; therefore one of the biggest roots
of the sectarian violence in Pakistan – misconduct by its religions
leaders – remains unaddressed.
The Anti-terrorist
Act has been used against a human rights defender on the basis of a
press release he wrote criticizing the violence, yet absurdly, not
against the inciters of wide scale sectarian violence.
I urge that you
take serious note of the murders in Gojra, and inquire into the lack of
protection afforded the Christians who died there. Inquiries by various
human rights organisations strongly indicate that the attacks and
murders were pre-planned.
I also request
that you investigate and drop the charges of terrorism used improperly
and illogically against Tariq Mehmood, and investigate how such charges
were able to be filed.
I demand that those who used mosque loud speakers to incite sectarian
murder be investigated and brought before the law.
I look forward to
your action in these matters.
Yours sincerely,
PLEASE SEND
YOUR LETTERS TO:
1.Mr. Syed
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk
2. Minister for Interior
R Block Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 51 9212026
Fax: +92 51 9202624
E-mail: ministry.interior@gmail.com or interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
3. Mr. Mian Shahbaz Sharif
Chief Minister of Punjab
H-180 Model Town
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 5881383
4. Minister of Law
Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
E-mail: law@punjab.gov.pk
5. Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 7324489
E-mail: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk
6. Mr. Salman Taseer
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
7. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
8. Mr.Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani
Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +9251-9204108
Email: sarfaraz_yousuf@yahoo.com
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
Asian Human Rights Commission
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Baseer Naweed
Senior Researcher, South Asia Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
19/F Go-Up Commercial Building
998 Canton Rd, Mongkok
Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
baseer.naweed@ahrc.asia
Tel: (852) 2698 6339 Ext 113
Fax: (852) 2698 6367
Mob: (852)6402 5943
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