European govts mustn’t stay mum over Baloch Journalist’s death: Expert

"Filing Sajid’s disappearance and murder as an ‘accident or suicide’ case is very tempting, because it will allow Swedish Government, and other European governments after it, to deny what is happening under their own noses," The Singapore Post said in an opinion piece by Stuart White.

"Sajid is dead, but his death should not be taken lightly. European governments are responsible for the safety of their citizens," White said.

"Democratic governments are responsible for the freedom of those fleeing dictatorial, military regimes. Silence and connivance with those regimes in the name of diplomatic relationships are as criminal as the deeds of the perpetrators," the article said.

The mysterious death in Sweden of Sajid Hussain, the editor of the Balochistan Times website, had made international headlines this year. His body was found in late April, seven weeks after he went missing. 

The Swedish police have not yet ruled out the possibility that his death was linked to his work as a journalist, a hypothesis that is particularly disturbing because his website reported drug trafficking cases, human rights violations, enforced disappearances and rebel activity in Balochistan, his home province, which he fled in 2012.

He could have been the victim of a reprisal for his coverage of these very sensitive subjects.