De gedwongen verdwijning van Ahmad Waqas Goraya en andere online activisten in Pakistan - Main contents
Vandaag heeft Marietje Schaake onderstaande parlementaire vragen (in het Engels) gesteld over de zaak van de in Nederland verblijven Ahmad Waqas Goraya die in januari door de veiligheidsdiensten werd ontvoerd en nu, naj terugkomst in Nederland bedreigd wordt (1).
On January 6th, security forces in Lahore, Pakistan abducted Mr Ahmad Waqas Goraya, together with three other online activists. Mr Goraya, a resident of the Netherlands since 2007, was subsequently tortured and abused.
Friends and family of all men were kept in the dark about their faith and whereabouts until their release on January 28th.
1.Was the VP/HR aware of the case of Mr Goraya and of numerous other cases of enforced disappearances of (online)critics of Pakistan’s military establishment and if so, has the VP/HR discussed these cases in which bloggers face abuse, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, with Pakistani authorities as part of a broader dialogue concerning the increasing crackdown by the Pakistani military on any form of dissent?
2.Since returning to the Netherlands, Mr Goraya and his family have faced threats and verbal abuse. Is the VP/HR aware of the fact that Pakistani authorities extend their influence to within EU member states and incite hatred and distrust amongst Pakistani citizens living abroad against each other?
3.How will this case and others like it be featured in EU-Pakistan relations, including in a new 'Strategic Engagement Plan' and the monitoring in the context of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences?