Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately release eight people arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for "criticizing the state" on Twitter.
Danoshika Dsanike, director of the South Asian rights group Human Rights Watch, called on Pakistani authorities to stop using the Draconian Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PICA) to punish those who use only online freedom of expression.
He pointed out that governments have long used the law as a weapon to crush peaceful dissent and intimidate supporters of political opposition parties.