The Human Rights Fee of Pakistan on Friday expressed concern over the roughing up of YouTuber Rajab Butt throughout a courtroom look in Karachi earlier this week.
On Monday, Butt was bodily assaulted on the Karachi Metropolis Court docket premises in the course of the listening to of his bail plea in a case registered towards him for allegedly hurting spiritual sentiments. Butt’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, said on X that “a number of attorneys launched a life-threatening assault on him inside the courtroom premises” and registered a case towards them.
A video of the incident in query had proven Butt, clad in a shirt with the neckline torn open, trying to maneuver via a crowd surrounding him.
“The HRCP expresses grave concern over the reported bodily assault on YouTuber Rajab Butt inside the Karachi metropolis courtroom premises and the alleged involvement of members of the authorized fraternity,” the HRCP mentioned in a press release at the moment on social media platform X.
“Violence, intimidation and vigilantism — notably inside courts — undermine the rule of legislation and the fitting to due course of,” it mentioned.
The fee urged a “immediate, neutral investigation”, accountability for accountable events and efficient measures to make sure the security of litigants, attorneys and courtroom officers.
The primary data report (FIR) of the incident registered on the grievance of Butt’s lawyer, had named Advocate Riaz Ali Solangi, Advocate Abdul Fatah and “one other 15-20 attorneys”. Solangi can also be the complainant within the case registered towards Butt.
Solangi informed Daybreak on Monday that after acquiring pre-arrest bail on December 20, the YouTuber had uploaded a vlog wherein he allegedly used inappropriate language towards attorneys in Karachi in addition to towards him. He claimed Butt was later taken to the Karachi Bar Affiliation committee room after the scuffle, the place the YouTuber apologized to the attorneys.
On Tuesday, a gaggle of attorneys had stormed the Metropolis Courts police station, manhandled a station home officer (SHO) after which staged a protest sit-in on MA Jinnah Highway demanding an FIR towards Mr Butt.
A day later, the police had registered a felony case towards a number of attorneys, together with Solangi, for allegedly assaulting the Metropolis Courts SHO after he lodged an FIR towards them for assaulting Butt.
In the meantime, the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) on Thursday suspended Ashfaq’s working towards license for representing Butt earlier than the courtroom regardless of a strike known as by the native bar.
It mentioned that whereas defending his shopper, the advocate made statements towards the authorized fraternity, which the PbBC described as “severe skilled impropriety”. It added Ashfaq’s conduct created an “environment of dispute and disharmony, gravely damaging the status, unity and collective integrity of the authorized neighborhood”.
