Brussels, 29/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - At the end of April, Europeans condemned the killing of Sabeen Mahmud in Karachi on Friday 24 April. Mahmud was a human rights activist and director of the The Second Floor café, a place for free discussion.
“All citizens of Pakistan must be guaranteed their constitutional right to freedom of expression and to engage in democratic debate freely and without fear”, the EU delegation to Pakistan stated. Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the European Parliament's ALDE Group, said he thought the killing of Mahmud, “a courageous woman, who fought tirelessly for human rights, was an attack on democracy in Pakistan”.
The EU delegation, like the ALDE Group, has called on the Pakistani authorities to investigate the killing and to ensure that the perpetrators of this “cowardly act” are brought to justice swiftly. “We urge the Pakistani authorities to protect human rights activists. A free civil society is an essential element for a pluralist, stable and prosperous Pakistan”, Verhofstadt added.
Mahmud was shot dead with four bullets at point blank at the end of the Un-silencing Balochistan event she had organised. According to Balochistan's rights activists, the Pakistani authorities try to reduce to silence those who defend the dissidents. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)