A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
In Pakistan, journalists are concerned about a change to the country's cybercrimes law they say will stifle free speech. The government says the measure will help curb the spread of disinformation. Now, the law has triggered protests from journalists around the country. Betsy Joles reports from Lahore.
UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALIST: (Chanting in Non-English language).
UNIDENTIFIED JOURNALISTS: (Chanting in Non-English language).
BETSY JOLES, BYLINE: Outside the Lahore Press Club, around 50 journalists are chanting about the fight for press freedom. TV journalist Arslan Rafiq Bhatti says they're trying to get the government's attention.
ARSLAN RAFIQ BHATTI: They can't stop us from speaking the truth, from highlighting the problems of the people.
JOLES: They're protesting amendments passed last month that criminalize what the government deems as the act of spreading disinformation online. Penalties include a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine of as much as $7,000. The measures also create new bodies to regulate content and investigate people who share it. Officials say the law is necessary to curb the intentional sharing of information that creates unrest in society. But Sher Ali Khalti, joint secretary of the Punjab Union of Journalists, says these rules may instead be used to block out criticism.
SHER ALI KHALTI: They say that we are against fake news, but who will define the fake news?
JOLES: Pakistan has a history of media censorship. And rights groups say even before these changes, the law was being used to target journalists. Now the definition of unlawful content includes false information that damages the reputation of members of the judiciary, legislature and armed forces. Khalti says these regulations could make it dangerous to report on issues deemed sensitive by the state.
KHALTI: After this enactment, I think we can't do journalism.
JOLES: This law doesn't just apply to journalists but extends to every Pakistani on the internet.
NIGHAT DAD: Due to the lack of digital literacy in this country, people absolutely have no idea the consequences of such a law.
JOLES: This is Nighat Dad, the founder of the Digital Rights Foundation. She says people can also be reported and punished for sharing what the government considers false information on social media, including WhatsApp. She says that makes it all the more important for them to be careful with what they share.
DAD: Before forwarding any content or resharing any content, just verify whether this is true or not.
JOLES: The new regulations are already being challenged in several courts. Journalists say they're prepared to continue protesting until the law is repealed.
For NPR News, I'm Betsy Joles in Lahore, Pakistan.
(SOUNDBITE OF CITY OF THE SUN'S "VENTURA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.