KATHMANDU, Nepal (10 July 2025) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Bytes for All, Pakistan condemn the Islamabad District Magistrate’s order, issued on 24 June 2025, to block 27 YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating “anti-state content” and “spreading false, misleading, and fake information.” The targeted channels, run by journalists, political commentators, and opposition voices, including those in exile, are the latest targets in Pakistan’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.
“The censorship of journalists and political voices under the pretext of national security is a dangerous precedent,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA. “This is not a lawful regulation; it is repression disguised as cybersecurity. That global platforms, like YouTube, appear complicit only reinforces the fragility of civic space.”
This move is part of a deepening pattern of digital authoritarianism in Pakistan, where vague and overly broad laws are used to suppress independent media, shrink civic space, and criminalise dissent both online and offline.
PECA: A tool for systemic digital repression
The blocking order, which was based on a request from Pakistan’s newly created National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), invoked Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act (PECA), 2025. The court accepted claims of “provoking disorder” and “defaming state institutions” without independent scrutiny or due process.
FORUM-ASIA has consistently raised concerns about PECA and its 2025 amendments, which expand the law enforcement’s ability to surveil, censor, and criminalise online speech and expression. These laws institutionalise state control over digital civic space and violate Pakistan’s commitment to international human rights standards, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
PECA has been consistently weaponised to target journalists, such as in the arrest of Farhan Mallick, and to stifle media freedom. Such patterns entrench legalised censorship and erode the foundations of a free and open civic space.
Judicial and platform complicity in a shrinking civic space
The court’s decision to issue a blocking order, in the absence of procedural safeguards or transparent justification, risks turning the judiciary into a tool for repression. Equally concerning is YouTube’s apparent compliance, including takedown warnings that threaten removal without explanation or recourse. These actions were carried out without due process, adequate safeguards, or a meaningful opportunity for appeal against this unilateral decision. YouTube’s willingness to enforce such orders exemplifies a broader trend of corporate complicity, where platforms yield to state pressure at the expense of freedom of expression.
Even when responding to domestic court orders, platforms retain an independent responsibility under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to assess whether enforcement contributes to human rights violations. Platforms are obligated to conduct human rights due diligence and reject requests that violate international law. Compliance must meet the tests of legality, necessity, and proportionality.
“The judiciary’s uncritical acceptance of vague censorship claims, coupled with YouTube’s opaque compliance, exemplifies the dangerous convergence of state and corporate power in curtailing online freedoms,” said Shahzad Ahmad, Country Director of Bytes for All, Pakistan. “As a platform with global reach, YouTube must demonstrate human rights due diligence and refuse to enable politically motivated crackdowns. Silence and compliance are not neutral; they constitute complicity in shrinking civic space.”
From the recently lifted long-term ban on X (formerly Twitter), to repeated internet shutdowns during protests, and growing investment in state surveillance infrastructure, Pakistan is consolidating control over digital narratives. These efforts discredit dissent, restrict public participation, and erode democratic accountability.
Transnational Repression
The order’s takedown direction also targets channels operated by exiled journalists and commentators, including Moeed Pirzada, Imran Riaz Khan, and Wajahat Khan, among others. U.S.-based journalist Ahmad Noorani, whose investigative platform FactFocus was previously blocked in Pakistan in May 2025, now also finds his personal YouTube channel among the 27 listed for removal. This double targeting highlights a deliberate strategy to exhaust and erase dissenting voices from the digital sphere.
These actions reflect a broader pattern of transnational repression, where the government pressures global platforms to remove content abroad, merely for being critical of the state. By exporting censorship extraterritorially, Pakistan undermines international standards on freedom of expression and sets a dangerous precedent for digital rights globally.
Call to action
FORUM-ASIA and Bytes for All urge the Government of Pakistan to immediately revoke the Islamabad District Magistrate’s blocking order and end all forms of politically motivated digital censorship. The government must repeal PECA, including its 2025 amendments, and ensure all digital laws are brought in line with Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees and its international human rights obligations, particularly under ICCPR. It must also end the use of courts, regulatory agencies, and law enforcement to target dissent, intimidate journalists, and undermine press freedom.
We further call on YouTube and other digital platforms to uphold their responsibilities under the international human rights legal framework, including UNGPs. Platforms must resist compromising their independence or facilitating the erosion of fundamental freedoms, particularly the right to freedom of expression.
In instances where content or channels are suspended, YouTube must ensure due process and fully disclose the basis for such decisions. This includes providing timely and specific information on the alleged violation(s), the rationale for the action, notifications to affected users, and accessible procedures for appeal.
Above all, digital platforms must ensure their operations do not contribute to human rights violations or the ongoing shrinking of civic space.
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The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a network of 90 member organisations across 23 countries, mainly in Asia. Founded in 1991, FORUM-ASIA works to strengthen movements for human rights and sustainable development through research, advocacy, capacity development and solidarity actions in Asia and beyond. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. The FORUM-ASIA Secretariat is based in Bangkok, with offices in Jakarta, Geneva and Kathmandu. www.forum-asia.org
Bytes for All (B4A), Pakistan is a network of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals and practitioners. B4A focuses on the relevance of ICTs and the implementation of ICT solutions for sustainable development and strengthening human rights movements in the country. B4A has been actively working since 2003 at the forefront of the Internet Rights movement and the struggle for democracy. B4A focuses on field projects and policy advocacy from the perspective of civil liberties, as well as on capacity building of human rights defenders (HRDs) on their digital security, online safety and privacy.
For media inquiries, please contact:
- Communications and Media Programme, FORUM-ASIA, communication@forum-asia.org
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