General

Missing journalist found dead in Pakistan

Local news reports signs of torture on his body

Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad was found dead near his abandoned car in Islamabad after he went missing on Sunday night. Soon after his disappearance, Human Rights Watch made a statement saying they believed Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, had arrested him. According to local news reports, there were signs of torture on his body. Two days before his disappearance, Shahzad wrote a story about al-Qaeda attacked a naval base in Karachi because of the arrest of two naval officers with alleged ties to the terrorist group.  Pakistan is a notoriously dangerous place to work as a journalist, and Reporters Without Borders claims media freedom has been eroding there for years. In 2010, 11 journalists were killed in Pakistan, according to the organization.

Toronto Star

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