{"id":9237,"date":"2024-05-20T14:06:25","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T14:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=9237"},"modified":"2024-05-20T14:18:27","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T14:18:27","slug":"punjab-defamation-bill-throttles-free-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/punjab-defamation-bill-throttles-free-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"Punjab defamation bill throttles free expression"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container hundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-left:180px;--awb-margin-top:40px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_4_5 4_5 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:80%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.4%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2.4%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Press release<\/p>\n<p><strong>Punjab defamation bill throttles free expression\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Lahore, 20 May 2024<\/em>. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed grave concern over the draft defamation bill tabled in the Punjab Assembly.<\/p>\n<p>The content and language of the bill is troubling on several counts. First, it proposes a parallel structure to adjudicate claims of defamation. HRCP has consistently decried special parallel judicial structures on the grounds that they invariably violate fundamental rights and other universally accepted norms governing the fair functioning of the judiciary.<\/p>\n<p>Second, the bill proposes to set up defamation tribunals while empowering the government to appoint judges at higher allowances and benefits than what are available to the existing provincial judiciary functioning at the district level.<\/p>\n<p>Third, all defamation claims have to be resolved within a short span of 180 days. The bill proposes authorizing defamation tribunals to issue preliminary decrees to the tune of PKR 3 million\u2014without trial\u2014immediately on receiving a defamation claim. This will be a huge blow to freedom of expression and dissent. Such orders are likely to be passed without following due process and ensuring fair trials.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth, the draft law creates a special category of holders of constitutional office, such as the prime minister, chief justices and military chiefs, among others. Defamation claims pertaining to these categories will be heard by special one-member tribunals comprising a judge of the Lahore High Court. This provision violates the principle of equality of citizens and equality before the law.<\/p>\n<p>HRCP is also concerned by the haste in which this bill is being tabled. Five days is too short a period for any meaningful consultation with civil society and digital and mainstream media stakeholders on what is a complex legal proposal affecting an entire digital ecosystem of opinion makers.<\/p>\n<p>Asad Iqbal Butt<br \/>\nChairperson<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_5 1_5 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:20%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:9.6%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:9.6%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-widget-area awb-widget-area-element fusion-widget-area-1 fusion-content-widget-area\" style=\"--awb-title-size:18px;--awb-title-color:#333333;--awb-padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-id=\"tweets-widget-2\">#tweets-widget-2 li { border-color:#ebeaea;}<\/style><div id=\"tweets-widget-2\" class=\"widget tweets\" style=\"border-style: solid;border-color: #ebeaea;border-color:transparent;border-width:0px;\">\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div style=\"overflow:hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"twitter-timeline\" data-dnt=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HRCP87\" data-tweet-limit=\"5\" data-width=\"\" data-height=\"900\" width=\"\" height=\"900\" data-theme=\"light\" data-link-color=\"#ff9800\" data-border-color=\"#ebeaea\" data-chrome=\"\">Tweets by HRCP87<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><div class=\"fusion-additional-widget-content\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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