A Pakistani journalist, who has been a vocal critic of the powerful military and government, was released late Tuesday hours after the government confirmed he had been abducted, his family said.

“My husband was abducted this morning outside the school (in the capital Islamabad) where I work,” Kaneez Sughra, the wife of 51-year-old Matiullah Jan, told Reuters.

She said school security camera footage showed Jan, who had arrived to collect his wife from work, had been bundled into a car after being cornered by five vehicles - three of them unmarked, one with police markings and the other an ambulance.

“Thank God, he’s back,” Sughra said. He was left at the capital’s outskirts after around 12 hours’ captivity.

The military’s public relations wing did not respond to a request for comment on Jan’s reported abduction.

“It is clear that he has been abducted,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz said, adding that the government would put in all efforts to trace him and identify who could be behind the kidnapping.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanding Jan’s release said he was among the journalists the army accused of sharing anti-state remarks on social media in 2018.

Jan - one of thousands of journalists and media workers who were laid off during a security crackdown in the run-up to the 2018 general election - told Reuters last year he was forced out of his job after criticising army generals’ interference in politics, a charge the military denies.

Some journalists and bloggers critical of the military — including commentator Gul Bukhari who was abducted and set free in a similar fashion — that were rounded up in 2018 blamed the army’s intelligence arm, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), for their detention. Pakistan’s army has denied any involvement in Bukhari’s abduction.

Bukhari and Jan both come from military families.

Jan was facing a contempt of court case for a Twitter post critical of Supreme Court judges, and he was due to appear in court on Wednesday.

“My husband had told me that he could be arrested in the case, but we never expected a kidnapping,” Sughra said.

A Pakistani journalist, who has been a vocal critic of the powerful military and government, was released late Tuesday hours after the government confirmed he had been abducted, his family said.

A Pakistani journalist, who has been a vocal critic of the powerful military and government, was released late Tuesday hours after the government confirmed he had been abducted, his family said. “My husband was abducted this morning outside the school (in the capital Islamabad) where I work,” Kaneez Sughra, the wife of 51-year-old Matiullah Jan, told Reuters. She said school security camera footage showed Jan, who had arrived to collect his wife from work, had been bundled into a car after being cornered by five vehicles - three of them unmarked, one with police markings and the other an ambulance. “Thank God, he’s back,” Sughra said. He was left at the capital’s outskirts after around 12 hours’ captivity. The military’s public relations wing did not respond to a request for comment on Jan’s reported abduction. “It is clear that he has been abducted,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz said, adding that the government would put in all efforts to trace him and identify who could be behind the kidnapping. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanding Jan’s release said he was among the journalists the army accused of sharing anti-state remarks on social media in 2018. Jan - one of thousands of journalists and media workers who were laid off during a security crackdown in the run-up to the 2018 general election - told Reuters last year he was forced out of his job after criticising army generals’ interference in politics, a charge the military denies. Some journalists and bloggers critical of the military — including commentator Gul Bukhari who was abducted and set free in a similar fashion — that were rounded up in 2018 blamed the army’s intelligence arm, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), for their detention. Pakistan’s army has denied any involvement in Bukhari’s abduction. Bukhari and Jan both come from military families. Jan was facing a contempt of court case for a Twitter post critical of Supreme Court judges, and he was due to appear in court on Wednesday. “My husband had told me that he could be arrested in the case, but we never expected a kidnapping,” Sughra said.

Pakistani journalist critic of powerful military freed after abduction

Islamist rebels and jihadists in Syria are guilty of war crimes, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday, accusing them of &quot;a chilling wave of abductions, torture and summary killings&quot;. 
 
The London-based rights group named five Syrian anti-regime factions operating in northern Syria: Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, hardliner Ahrar al-Sham, Nureddin Zinki, the Levant Front and Division 16. 
 
The groups have detained and tortured lawyers, journalists, and children, among others, for criticising them, committing acts seen as immoral, or being minorities, the report said. 
 
&quot;Many civilians live in constant fear of being abducted if they criticise the conduct of armed groups in power or fail to abide by the strict rules that some have imposed,&quot; said Philip Luther, head of Amnesty&#39;s Middle East and North Africa programme. 
 
&quot;In Aleppo and Idlib today, armed groups have free rein to commit war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law with impunity,&quot; he added. 
 
The report is based on 24 accounts of abduction by anti-regime groups between 2012 and 2016 and another five cases of torture. 
 
Halim, a humanitarian worker, was kidnapped and tortured by Nureddin Zinki rebels in Aleppo city until he confessed to a crime. 
 
&quot;When I refused to sign the confession paper, the interrogator ordered the guard to torture me,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;He then started beating me with cables on the soles of my feet. I couldn&#39;t bear the pain so I signed the paper,&quot; Halim said. 
 
Jihadist and hardline religious groups operate their own religious courts which punish crimes such as apostasy or adultery with death. 
 
Saleh was held by Al-Nusra in late 2014, and was told by his guard that five women accused of adultery would &quot;only be forgiven by death.&quot; 
 
He said he later watched a video showing Al-Nusra militants publicly killing one of the women execution-style. 
 
Amnesty said it documented violations in Idlib, which is held by Al-Nusra and its allies, and Aleppo. 
 
Syria&#39;s conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since broken down into an all-out war, leaving more than 280,000 people dead. 
 
Rights groups have accused both the regime of Bashar al-Assad and anti-government factions of indiscriminate attacks, torture and detention. 
 
Amnesty called on world powers to &quot;pressure armed groups to end such abuses and comply with the laws of war&quot;. 
 
The report said regional powers must also stop providing weapons or other forms of support to any factions involved in war crimes or other violations. 
 
It said some of the accused groups &quot;are believed to have the support of governments such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

The report is based on 24 accounts of abduction by anti-regime groups between 2012 and 2016 and another five cases of torture

Islamist rebels and jihadists in Syria are guilty of war crimes, Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday, accusing them of "a chilling wave of abductions, torture and summary killings". The London-based rights group named five Syrian anti-regime factions operating in northern Syria: Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, hardliner Ahrar al-Sham, Nureddin Zinki, the Levant Front and Division 16. The groups have detained and tortured lawyers, journalists, and children, among others, for criticising them, committing acts seen as immoral, or being minorities, the report said. "Many civilians live in constant fear of being abducted if they criticise the conduct of armed groups in power or fail to abide by the strict rules that some have imposed," said Philip Luther, head of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme. "In Aleppo and Idlib today, armed groups have free rein to commit war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law with impunity," he added. The report is based on 24 accounts of abduction by anti-regime groups between 2012 and 2016 and another five cases of torture. Halim, a humanitarian worker, was kidnapped and tortured by Nureddin Zinki rebels in Aleppo city until he confessed to a crime. "When I refused to sign the confession paper, the interrogator ordered the guard to torture me," he said. "He then started beating me with cables on the soles of my feet. I couldn't bear the pain so I signed the paper," Halim said. Jihadist and hardline religious groups operate their own religious courts which punish crimes such as apostasy or adultery with death. Saleh was held by Al-Nusra in late 2014, and was told by his guard that five women accused of adultery would "only be forgiven by death." He said he later watched a video showing Al-Nusra militants publicly killing one of the women execution-style. Amnesty said it documented violations in Idlib, which is held by Al-Nusra and its allies, and Aleppo. Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but has since broken down into an all-out war, leaving more than 280,000 people dead. Rights groups have accused both the regime of Bashar al-Assad and anti-government factions of indiscriminate attacks, torture and detention. Amnesty called on world powers to "pressure armed groups to end such abuses and comply with the laws of war". The report said regional powers must also stop providing weapons or other forms of support to any factions involved in war crimes or other violations. It said some of the accused groups "are believed to have the support of governments such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US". (AFP)

Syrian rebels, jihadists guilty of war crimes: Amnesty report

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Pakistani journalist critic of powerful military freed after abduction

Syrian rebels, jihadists guilty of war crimes: Amnesty report