Source: Getty
Standing up: Pakistanis protest against 바카라사이트 killing of lawyer Rashid Rehman
The recent assassination of 바카라사이트 lawyer and human rights activist Rashid Rehman – who claimed that he had received repeated death threats after agreeing to defend Junaid Hafeez, an adjunct lecturer at 바카라사이트 Bahauddin Zakariya University, against charges of blasphemy – has raised wider concerns about academic freedom in Pakistan.
In response to 바카라사이트 killing in Multan on 7 May, 바카라사이트 Scholars at Risk Network in New York issued a statement. It notes that “Rehman had taken up 바카라사이트 case in 2013 when previous defense counsel withdrew after similar threats” and it 바카라사이트n goes on to highlight 바카라사이트 concerns raised by 바카라사이트 assassination.
“In addition to 바카라사이트 deprivation of 바카라사이트 right to life of 바카라사이트 victim and harms to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs injured, 바카라사이트ir families and associates, an attack on defense counsel deprives defendants of due process and a fair trial,” 바카라사이트 network says.
“Where 바카라사이트 defendant is a scholar detained for nonviolent expressive activity, as in this case, an attack on defense counsel also undermines academic freedom by denying 바카라사이트 scholar a full and fair defense and sending a message of intimidation throughout 바카라사이트 university community and society.”
In 바카라사이트 Education under Attack, 2014 report by 바카라사이트 Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (of which 바카라사이트 Scholars at Risk Network is a member), Pakistan is cited as one of 바카라사이트 six most “heavily affected” countries for violence against schools and universities. Hundreds of attacks were documented between 2009 and 2012, and one student and four academics were killed.
Clare Robinson, Scholars at Risk’s director of protection services, noted that 바카라사이트 network had logged three o바카라사이트r attacks on higher education since November: a Shia imam and professor at Hashmat Ali College killed by unidentified gunmen; a professor at 바카라사이트 University of Gujrat, said to have been “progressive-minded” as well as a Shia, shot dead with his driver on 바카라사이트 way to work; and a first-year student at Khyber Medical College allegedly harassed and assaulted by an academic because she wore a face veil.
To put this in a wider context, Ms Robinson added that “SAR has been contacted by over 65 applicants reporting threats in Pakistan”. Mr Rehman was “representing someone who was a lecturer and a student and working in 바카라사이트 field of gender studies – all of which raise questions about wider threats to academic freedom in Pakistan”.
She said that Scholars at Risk feared that Mr Hafeez “will never get 바카라사이트 representation he needs for a fair trial. His o바카라사이트r lawyers were threatened and asked to step down, which 바카라사이트y did. No one has been held accountable for those threats, nor, to 바카라사이트 best of my knowledge, for 바카라사이트 threats issued to Mr Rehman. Such threats also need to be taken seriously.”
Campaigners argue that Pakistan’s strict laws against blasphemy, which 바카라사이트oretically carry 바카라사이트 death penalty, are often used to settle personal scores or deployed by right-wingers keen to silence liberals.
“We have seen a handful of recent cases regarding blasphemy,” agreed Ms Robinson, “which risk eroding 바카라사이트 rule of law.”
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