Pakistan: Digital journalist Sohrab Barkat detained for over two months

Pakistani digital journalist and YouTube host Sohrab Barkat has remained in pre-trial detention for over two and a half months following his arrest in late 2025. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), condemn the use of legal harassment to prolong Barkat's detention and call for his immediate release.

Pakistani digital journalist Sohrab Barkat has remained in pre-trial detention for over two and a half months following his arrest in late 2025. Credit: YouTube

Barkat, a 31-year-old correspondent for the online news outlet Siasat.pk, was arrested at Islamabad International Airport on November 26, 2025, while attempting to travel to a United Nations conference. Following his arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency, he was transferred to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore. On January 18, 2026, Siasat announced the closure of its Islamabad office, citing increased pressure and operational difficulties stemming from Barkat's ongoing detention.

The journalist faces at least three separate First Information Reports (FIRs) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The first, registered on August 5, 2025, accuses Barkat of spreading 'derogatory remarks' and misinformation about state institutions, charges reportedly linked to an interview he conducted with an opposition activist. A second FIR, dated August 26, 2024, includes allegations of 'hate speech', 'defamation', and 'cyber harassment'.

A third FIR was registered on December 5, 2025, while Barkat was already in custody, including charges of 'cyberterrorism' and spreading 'false information', allegedly in relation to his social media coverage of protests in Kashmir and the Nobel Peace Prize nomination of human rights activist Mahrang Baloch.

While courts granted bail in two of the cases in December 2025, the Lahore High Court denied his third bail application on January 21, 2026, after the prosecution labelled him an 'absconder'. The journalist's legal team maintains that Barkat was never informed of the initial complaints prior to his arrest. Most recently, on February 3, the NCCIA moved to challenge and cancel the bail previously granted to the journalist in a related case.

The PFUJ said: "Unjustly arresting journalists is tantamount to curbing press freedom and is unacceptable in any way. The government should release the journalist immediately."

The IFJ said: "The repeated filing of overlapping FIRs, particularly while the journalist remains in custody, represents a transparent attempt to circumvent due process and weaponise the legal system against the media. This pattern of judicial harassment not only violates the principles of proportionality but also intensifies the chilling effect on independent reporting across Pakistan. The IFJ urges the Pakistani authorities to release Sohrab Barkat immediately and to cease the exploitation of criminal law to silence critical reporting."