MURDERED 17 NOVEMBER 2007
Meher-un-Nisa Khan, Press Freedom Advocate — Mir Ali, Pakistan
Join us in demanding justice for Meher-un-Nisa. The wife of slain journalist Hayatullah Khan, Meher-un-Nisa, herself had become an advocate for journalists’ safety before she was murdered when a bomb detonated outside her bedroom window in Mir Ali, a militant stronghold in North Waziristan, on 17 November 2007. Her five children, who were sleeping in an adjoining bedroom, were not injured in the blast.
Hayatullah disappeared in December 2005 just days after he photographed shrapnel from a U.S. missile found at the scene where al-Qaeda leader Hamza Rabia was killed. His widely published photo contradicted a claim by the Pakistan government that Rabia died in an accidental explosion. Hayatullah’s body was found seven months later riddled with bullets, while another family member was killed several months later. Along with Mehr-un-Nisa’s murder, the killings are believed to be an attempt to stop the family from trying to expose Hayatullah’s killers. All three cases remain unsolved.
Take Action: Write a letter demanding justice for Meher-un-Nisa
International Day to End Impunity is on 23 November. Until that date, we will reveal a story each day of a journalist, writer or free expression advocate who was killed in the line of duty.
