The recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, or PECA, stifle press freedom and reinforce censorship, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said.
The amendments, which were approved last month, ignited a storm within the media and advocacy circles, with journalists and activists taking to the streets to protest against what they called “oppressive” changes.
Since its enactment in 2016, PECA has been a highly controversial piece of legislation, and has been widely weaponised to silence criticism of state institutions and dissenting voices.
The statement released this week by RSF raises concern over the broad implications of the changes made to the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025. Some of these major revisions include the establishment of four regulatory bodies, a vague definition for the term “fake news” and stricter penalties for individuals accused of propagating it.
The changes allow authorities to arrest suspects, who could be jailed for three years, without a warrant.
“The amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) that recently came into force further exacerbate the threat this legislation poses to journalists in Pakistan,” the statement reads.
“PECA establishes the creation of a government-controlled regulatory authority and a three-year prison sentence for the dissemination of ‘false’ or ‘prohibited’ content, which is very vaguely defined.”
The statement highlights that the amendments were adopted in “less than 15 minutes” by the National Assembly, with nine new categories of unlawful online content introduced.
Célia Mercier, head of RSF’s South Asia Desk, says, “Under the guise of combating disinformation, Pakistan is taking censorship to a new level,” adding that the text’s vague definition of false and prohibited content conceals a formidable legal weapon for blocking information.
RSF has called on the government to reverse the amendments, calling them “a dangerous tool in the hands of the authorities as they can silence critics and control information”.
Other leading rights organisations, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Amnesty International, have expressed concern over the amendments as well. A petition against the amended PECA law has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).
