'Anti-state' content: Journalist Mallick sent to jail on judicial remand
Pakistan
Journalist sent on judicial remand for allegedly airing “anti-state” content
KARACHI (Web Desk) - A court in Karachi sent journalist Farhan Mallick to jail on judicial remand for allegedly airing “anti-state” content.
Mallick was arrested on March 20 in Karachi and booked under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took him into custody for four days.
Mallick was presented before the court of Judicial Magistrate-I (East) Khalique Zaman.
The FIA sought an extension of physical remand till April 3. However, the court denied the request and sent him on 14-day judicial remand.
The court also took up Mallick’s bail petition.
According to the FIR, the FIA had received a report about YouTube channel, which was “involved in running a campaign for the posting of anti-state videos”.
Notably, Section 26A is among the provisions recently added to the Peca laws, wherein fake news is defined as any information about which a person “knows or has reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest”.
Any person found guilty could be sentenced up to three years in prison or fined up to Rs2 million, or both.
