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Reema Omer

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Reema Omer
Reema Omer (right) with I.A. Rehman, Asma Jahangir and Peter Jacob at a panel discussion
Born3 June 1986
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
EducationLLB, Lahore University of Management Sciences (Pakistan)
LLM, University of Cambridge (UK)
Occupation(s)Lawyer
Human rights activist
Analyst & columnist
OrganizationInternational Commission of Jurists

Reema Omer (Urdu: ریما عمر; born 3 June 1986) is a Pakistani lawyer, human rights professional and news analyst. She is currently working as a legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists.[1] She is a visiting faculty member at Lahore School of Law.[2] She regularly writes her opinion on the legal landscape and human rights issues in Pakistan,[3] and contributes her legal and political analysis in current affairs shows on different news channels.

Early life and education

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Omer, one of two children, was born and raised in Lahore, Punjab. She was educated at Lahore Grammar School, where she completed her O' Level in 2002 and got a world distinction in A' Level law in 2004. She did her BA-LL.B from Lahore University of Management Sciences in 2009, where she was awarded a gold medal for the best student.[4] Later, she did an LLM specializing in Public International Law in 2010 from the University of Cambridge, UK. Omer is married to Dr. Ali Jan and has one daughter.

Career

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In 2011, Reema joined the International Commission of Jurists as its South Asia consultant, and she has been serving in the capacity of legal adviser for Pakistan since 2013.

She regularly participates as a legal and political analyst in current affairs shows on various news channels. She frequently contributes articles[5] to several[6] online[7] and print[8] newspapers[9] on the themes relating to human rights[10] such as; the rule of law, freedom of expression, social justice, access to justice, gender disparity in the legal sector, Pakistan's international commitments, and national human rights institutions, etc. Her contribution as opinion-writer to the Dawn newspaper,[3] Geo TV,[6] The[9] News,[10] and Daily Times[8] serve to increase understanding about the legal lacunas in national laws, and provide ways forward to address the human rights issues[11] that exist in Pakistan.

Report Card

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Reema Omer regularly appears as an analyst along with leading analysts and opinion makers comprising Suhail Warraich, Mazhar Abbas, Hassan Nisar, Benazir Shah, Shahzad Iqbal, Muneeb Farooq, Ather Kazmi and Irshad Hameed, on the current affairs talk show of the Geo News called "Report Card"[12] wherein she presents her opinion and analysis on legal matters and political situation in Pakistan.

Aurat Card

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Reema Omer along with female journalists including; Benazir Shah, Mehmal Sarfaraz and Natasha created a YouTube show called "Aurat Card",[13] to give women a platform to voice out their concerns and share their perspective. They discuss the variety of topics and issues they have expertise and interest in particularly related to politics, law, sports or entertainment. They analyze current affairs, review movies and dramas, and review different products of use.[14]

Intimidation and harassment

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In 2019, Twitter sent a notice to Reema Omer that her tweets questioning the procedures of military courts, were in violation of the Constitution of Pakistan.[15] However, then Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry denied the government's involvement in submitting an official correspondence to Twitter against Reema's in tweets.[16]

In 2020, Reema along with other female journalists appeared before the National Assembly's standing committee on human rights and requested its Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the members to address the incidents of sexual harassment that female journalists and analysts have to face on Twitter. Having heard the accounts, the Federal Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari condemned the harassment of female journalists and promised to take action against the persons involved in online harassment.[17]

Publications

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Omer contributed to several publications especially briefing papers and reports relating to human rights and access to justice in Pakistan.

  1. Authority without accountability: The search for justice in Pakistan[18]
  2. Briefing Paper on Violations of the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Pakistan[19]
  3. Briefing Paper on Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018[20]
  4. On Trial: The Implementation of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws[21]

Awards and recognition

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She was awarded the Commonwealth Pegasus scholarship in 2010 where she worked in barristers' chambers in London on human rights cases.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Asia & the Pacific Programme". International Commission of Jurists. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  2. ^ "REEMA OMER - Lahore School of Law". Lahore School of Law. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  3. ^ a b "News stories for Reema Omer - DAWN.COM". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  4. ^ "620 graduates get degrees at LUMS convocation". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  5. ^ "Op-eds". International Commission of Jurists. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  6. ^ a b "Writer - Geo.tv: Latest News Breaking Pakistan, World, Live Videos". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  7. ^ "Opinio Juris articles by Reema".
  8. ^ a b "Reema Omer Archives". Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  9. ^ a b "Reema Omer:The News on Sunday (TNS) » Weekly Magazine - The News International". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  10. ^ a b "Reema Omer:Writer - The News International: Latest News Breaking, Pakistan News". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  11. ^ "Friday Times Newspaper".
  12. ^ "Report card shows". www.geo.tv.
  13. ^ "What is an Aurat Card and how do we get one?". DAWN Newspaper.
  14. ^ "Aurat Card shows". www.unewstv.com/.
  15. ^ Jahangir, Ramsha (2019-01-25). "Explainer: Legal notices to users: Twitter says it prefers to protect free speech". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  16. ^ Dawn.com (2019-01-23). "Govt not behind the complaint to Twitter regarding lawyer Reema Omer's tweet: info minister". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  17. ^ "Women journalists should give proof of alleged harassment, says Mazari, vowing action". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  18. ^ "Authority without accountability: The search for justice in Pakistan" (PDF).
  19. ^ "Violations of the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Pakistan" (PDF). International Commission of Jurists. July 2021.
  20. ^ "Pakistan: Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018" (PDF). International commission of Jurists. March 2020.
  21. ^ "On Trial: The Implementation of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws" (PDF). International Commission of Jurists. November 2015.
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