Sajid Hussain (journalist)

Sajid Hussain (16 January 1981 – 2020) was a Pakistani journalist and the founder and chief editor of the online news site, the Balochistan Times.[1][2] He went missing on 2 March 2020 and his dead body was found in the Fyris River on 23 April 2020. Swedish police ruled out any foul play and the cause of death of Hussain was ruled to be drowning.[3] Hussain's autopsy indicated he could have committed suicide or his death was an accident.[4]

Background

Hussain was an ethnic Baloch. He started his journalist career in the Pakistani newspapers, including Daily Times and The News International. In 2012, he wrote a series of reports on "enforced disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan". Following a police raid, interrogations and alleged death threats, he fled the country, sought political asylum and lived in exile in Sweden since 2017. In 2015, he had started an online magazine called the Balochistan Times.

Death

Hussain went missing on 2 March 2020 and was found dead in the Fyris River just north of Uppsala, Sweden on 23 April. The body's identity became clear on 30 April. At the time of his death, Sajid Hussain was pursuing a master's of arts in Iranian languages at Uppsala University where he was also teaching Balochi language on part-time basis.[5][6][7][8]

Investigation

Swedish police said that they had launched a murder investigation, but suspicions of foul play weakened following an autopsy. Hussain's autopsy indicated he could have committed suicide or his death was an accident.[4] Swedish police ruled out any "visible wrongdoing" and the cause of death of Hussain was ruled to be drowning.[3] Later Swedish prosecution authority closed its murder investigation as they no longer suspect a crime has taken place.[9]

See also

References
  1. "In memoriam: The gem we lost in Sweden". Dawn. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. "Missing Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain found dead in Sweden". Dawn News. 1 May 2020.
  3. "Karima Baloch: Pakistani rights activist found dead in Toronto". BBC News. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  4. "Police say death of Pakistani activist Karima Mehrab in Toronto was 'non-criminal' but others have doubts". National Post. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  5. Salman Masood (2 May 2020). "Exiled Pakistani Journalist Found Dead in Sweden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. "Explained: Who was Sajid Hussain, the Pakistani journalist found dead in Sweden?". The Indian Express. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  7. "Baloch Journalist, Who Fled Pakistan After Writing on Missing Persons, Found Dead in Sweden". The Wire. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  8. "Swedish police find body of Pakistani journalist". BBC News. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  9. "Preliminary investigation into death of Pakistani journalist in Sweden closed". Sveriges Radio. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
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