Predator

Imran KHAN

Primeiro ministro da República Islâmica do Paquistão desde 18 de agosto de 2018

Predador desde que assumiu o cargo

Paquistão, 145o/180 no Ranking Mundial da Liberdade de Imprensa 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MODO DE PREDAÇÃO: militar, com tendência ditatorial

Imran Khan sabe como atrair os holofotes. Ex-astro da seleção nacional de críquete, celebridade em voga nas festas sofisticadas das capitais europeias, dedicou-se por um tempo a atividades filantrópicas antes de entrar na política nos anos 1990. Por muitos anos, seu partido mal sobreviveu, tendo dificuldades para se impor. Mas tudo mudou com a aproximação do ano legislativo de 2018: à sombra do candidato Khan, era orquestrado um forte retorno do “Estado profundo”, eufemismo que, no contexto paquistanês, designa o domínio constante, sobre o poder civil, do exército e da Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), o temível serviço secreto. Com sua ideologia misturando populismo e conservadorismo religioso, Imran Khan surge como o candidato ideal para figurar na cena pública sem questionar o poder onipotente das forças armadas. Para ele, a luz, a mídia pró-governo, as redes sociais, as polêmicas sobre o direito à blasfêmia. Nas sombras, o establishment militar, que não tolera interferências em seus assuntos e se empenha em sufocar todas as formas de jornalismo independente. Desde a chegada de Imran Khan ao poder, casos de censura descarada se multiplicam: interrupção da distribuição de jornais, chantagem com anúncios publicitários, bloqueio de sinais de transmissão de canais de televisão... Jornalistas que cruzam a linha vermelha são frequentemente alvos de sequestro, tortura e ameaças. Na verdade, por trás da luz do poder civil, Imran Khan, nas sombras, reativou os piores momentos da ditadura militar da história do Paquistão.

ALVOS PREFERIDOS: perseguição aos críticos

"Parem de cobrir temas que incomodam, ou suas famílias não vão mais encontrá-los com vida". Esta foi, em essência, a mensagem enviada aos inúmeros jornalistas e blogueiros que, desde a chegada ao poder de Imran Khan, têm sido alvo de sequestros e ameaças de morte. Mesmo aqueles que, por razões de segurança, se resignaram a viver no exílio estão sujeitos a tentativas de intimidação que podem chegar à agressão física em solo estrangeiro. O ciberespaço, último lugar de expressão da informação livre, é rigorosamente controlado pelo governo de Imran Khan através de medidas de censura cada vez mais liberticidas. Na web, exércitos de trolls difamam e perseguem todos os jornalistas e blogueiros que se atrevem a apresentar um ponto de vista crítico, pelo que são automaticamente acusados de serem anti-Paquistão, anti-exército e anti-Khan. O círculo está completo.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: humor duvidoso

“O Paquistão tem uma das imprensas mais livres do mundo. (...) Dizer que há restrições à imprensa paquistanesa é uma piada” (Coletiva de imprensa em Washington em julho de 2019, horas depois da transmissão do principal canal de televisão do Paquistão, Geo TV, ser substituída por uma tela preta).

Publié le 05.07.2021