Pakistan: WPF Finds Surge in Threats Against Gharida Farooqi is Deliberate Attempt to Silence Journalist
“This is the highest number of organized digital violence we have ever documented against a journalist in this region, after Rana Ayyub,” Kiran Nazish, Founding Director of The Coalition For Women In Journalism and Women Press Freedom
Location: Pakistan
Date: February 1, 2024
The Coalition for Women in Journalism and Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the latest surge in harassment and threats through an organized campaign directed at esteemed journalist Gharida Farooqi. Our investigation — examining an extensive dataset comprising information on hundreds of people targeting Gharida Farooqi — reveals that this is a deliberate and organized effort to silence the journalist. It marks the most extensive instance of organized digital violence we have ever recorded in the region against a journalist after Rana Ayyub. For nearly a decade, Farooqi has been disproportionately targeted, particularly in online spaces. We commend Farooqi's courage in speaking out against this abuse and her swift action in reporting it to the FIA. We call on the Pakistani government to ensure safety mechanisms are in place to protect Farooqi — and other targeted journalists; to put an end to the incessant maligning, threats, and character assassination they face; and to swiftly investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Renowned journalist Gharida Farooqi has once again become the target of an organized campaign involving harassment and threats. This incident represents a distressing chapter in Farooqi's ongoing ordeal as she continues to endure relentless attacks, including vile rape threats and character assassination.
The organized harassment campaign against Gharida Farooqi came to light on the eve of January 31, when she found herself tagged in abusive tweets with slanderous hashtags. She immediately reported the abuse to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which acted swiftly to trace some of the accounts responsible for the harassment.
Speaking with CFWIJ, Farooqi expressed her determination to stand against this abuse, stating, "Their motive is to silence you. So, if you are silencing yourself, their motive is achieved. Women journalists should speak up more about it."
“Their motive is to silence you. So, if you are silencing yourself, their motive is achieved. Women journalists should speak up more about it.”
Farooqi has faced a relentless campaign orchestrated by members, workers, and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for years. Even when the PTI was in power, the party's ministers were actively involved in fueling abuse against her, providing cover for trolls and harassers online to run smear campaigns.
“In the last 3 years. Women Press Freedom has documented at least a dozen organized troll campaigns against Gharida,” says CFWIJ and WPF founding director Kiran Nazish. “This is the highest number of organized digital violence we have ever documented against a journalist in this region, after Rana Ayyub.”
In late 2020, Farooqi told CFWIJ she faced character assassination for her unbiased coverage of events, preventing her from leaving her home for months due to threats. When PTI was in power, the party’s ministers were actively involved in fueling abuse against the journalist. Government spokespersons openly intimidated women journalists in Pakistan. She was later targeted for speaking out about rape and violence against women in Pakistan. There have been attempts to hack into her Twitter account, and in 2021, she was flooded with an organized troll campaign using edited clips from her show.
“This is the highest number of organized digital violence we have ever documented against a journalist in this region, after Rana Ayyub”
In April 2022, as documented by CFWIJ, she was targeted by a PTI supporter during the political rally hosted by the party, where a man, on camera, was seen carrying a banner with a veiled rape threat against the journalist. In August 2022, she was yet again hit with yet another wave of online attacks, including organized online trolling by social media accounts purportedly linked to PTI.
Organized Harassment Campaigns
A timeline of events
Commenting on the recent abuse and organized campaigns, Farooqi tells CFWIJ that she suspects the recent surge in digital violence is organized through PTI supporters.
“One of the reasons they probably do so is because of the country’s hypersensitive political landscape,” the journalist explains, adding that “everybody has gotten so jittery, and they don’t want to hear anything against their own party.”
Farooqi, an outspoken empowering figure in the Pakistani landscape, says she won’t capitulate to the threats. “(It) aggravates them. It bothers them that they can silence everyone but not Gharida.”
Despite the relentless attacks, Farooqi remains resilient, thanks in part to the support of her family, friends, and female colleagues in the journalism fraternity. However, it is essential to recognize that not all women journalists possess the same strength, and the ongoing campaign against her underscores the urgent need for a safer environment for women journalists in Pakistan.
The Coalition for Women in Journalism and Women Press Freedom vehemently condemns the relentless campaign of harassment and threats directed at the esteemed journalist, Gharida Farooqi, once again. For nearly a decade, Gharida Farooqi has faced disproportionate targeting where she has been subjected to vile rape threats, character assassination, and relentless abuse. We find such behavior within political spheres deeply concerning. Farooqi, like other journalists, should not be targeted with intimidation, threats, or violations of privacy for merely performing her professional duties. We stand in solidarity with the esteemed journalist, whose courage and dedication have shone through her career, and we unequivocally denounce the repeated targeting of her by trolls, abusers, and harassers. No journalist should have to endure such undue hardships for their work.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help women career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.