Islamabad, Feb 14, 2026
Raising serious doubts over the freedom of press in Pakistan, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), has condemned the use of legal harassment to prolong detention of digital journalist and YouTube host Sohrab Barkat and called for his immediate release.
31-year-old Barkat, an Islamabad-based correspondent for Pakistani news outlet Siasat, was detained at Islamabad International Airport while on his way to a United Nations conference on November 26, last year.
Following his arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency, he was transferred to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore and remains in a pre-trial detention since then.
On January 18, Siasat announced the closure of its Islamabad office, citing increased pressure and operational difficulties stemming from Barkat’s ongoing detention.
“The repeated filing of overlapping FIRs, particularly while the journalist remains in custody, represents a transparent attempt to circumvent due process and weaponise the legal system against the media.
This pattern of judicial harassment not only violates the principles of proportionality but also intensifies the chilling effect on independent reporting across Pakistan. The IFJ urges the Pakistani authorities to release Sohrab Barkat immediately and to cease the exploitation of criminal law to silence critical reporting,” read a statement issued by the IFJ.
The journalist faces at least three separate First Information Reports (FIRs) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The first, registered on August 5, 2025, accuses Barkat of spreading ‘derogatory remarks’ and misinformation about state institutions, charges reportedly linked to an interview he conducted with an opposition activist. A second FIR, dated August 26, 2024, includes allegations of ‘hate speech’, ‘defamation’, and ‘cyber harassment’.
A third FIR was registered on December 5, 2025, while Barkat was already in custody, including charges of ‘cyberterrorism’ and spreading ‘false information’, allegedly in relation to his social media coverage of protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Nobel Peace Prize nomination of leading human rights activist from Balochistan, Mahrang Baloch.
According to the IFJ, while courts granted bail to Barkat in two of the cases in December 2025, the Lahore High Court denied his third bail application on January 21 after the prosecution labelled him as an ‘absconder’. The journalist’s legal team maintains that Barkat was never informed of the initial complaints prior to his arrest. Most recently, on February 3, the NCCIA moved to challenge and cancel the bail previously granted to the journalist in a related case.
“Unjustly arresting journalists is tantamount to curbing press freedom and is unacceptable in any way. The government should release the journalist immediately,” urged the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).
Earlier, the Human Rights Council (HRC) of Pakistan had expressed serious concern over the continued “arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and judicial harassment” of Barkat, warning that the case raises troubling questions about respect for press freedom, due process, and constitutional safeguards in the country.
According to the HRC of Pakistan, Barkat was unlawfully transferred to Lahore after his detention, and subsequently implicated in multiple cases, despite official submissions made to the Islamabad High Court stating that no inquiry or case was pending against him and that he was free to travel.
“The contradiction between court submissions and subsequent actions reflects a disturbing disregard for the rule of law,” it stated last December.
“The emergence of successive cases at critical stages of the legal process appears aimed at obstructing bail and prolonging detention, further deepening concerns about misuse of legal mechanisms,” the rights body had stated.(Agency)
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