KARACHI, 24 December 2003 — The Sindh High Court will hear today the bail application of two detained French journalists — Marc Epstein and Jean-Paul Guilloteau. They were arrested in Karachi on Dec. 16 for violating visa restrictions.
At a preliminary hearing yesterday, Justice Zawar Jaffery admitted the bail application from Nafis Siddiqui, lawyer for the French, and issued notices to Deputy Attorney General and Federal Investigation Agency, ordering their presence in the court today.
Siddiqui said the court exempted him from producing certified copies of various documents. Siddiqui argued that provision of Section 14 (2) of the Foreigners Act did not apply to the present case as all offenses listed in the first information report filed by FIA were bailable.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch called on Pakistan to release the two.
“The Pakistani government must immediately release two French journalists, Marc Epstein and Jean-Paul Guilloteau, and their Pakistani assistant, Khawar Mehdi Rizvi,” the New York-based rights watchdog said in a statement.
The Frenchmen, who work for the French weekly L’Express, were arrested for violating their visa conditions by visiting the southwestern city of Quetta near the Afghanistan border. Human Rights Watch said Mehdi is likely to be charged with “sedition” since, as a Pakistani, he cannot be charged for visa irregularities.
“These arrests and the possible criminal charges mark a new low in the growing assault on press freedoms in Pakistan,” said Brad Adams, executive director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch.
