Amnesty International’s South Asia Regional Office has raised concerns over the detention of journalist Sohrab Barkat, who was reportedly targeted by Pakistani authorities for alleged criticism of state institutions online.

In a statement shared on social media, the organization said that Barkat was detained last month over his online criticism and has since been charged in three separate cases under Pakistan’s cybercrime law.

Amnesty further noted that two of these cases were filed against him in August 2024 and 2025 without his knowledge. Several months later, on 26 November 2025, Barkat was detained while trying to travel abroad.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Barkat is an Islamabad-based correspondent for the Pakistani news outlet Siasat and also hosts his own YouTube channel.

CPJ reported that he was detained at Islamabad International Airport while traveling to attend a United Nations conference. Multiple media organizations, along with his lawyer Saad Rasool, confirmed these details to CPJ.