[JURIST] Pakistani human rights activist Khurram Zaki [official Twitter] was killed by unidentified gunmen in Karachi on Saturday, according to local police. Four individuals on motorcycles approached a restaurant Zaki was in and opened fire [DAWN report], killing Zaki and wounding two others. Zaki was an activist that campaigned against religious extremism and cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz [official profile] of a radical Sunni mosque who incites hatred against Shia Muslims. He was also the editor of Let Us Build Pakistan [advocacy website], an alternative media site advocating for a more democratic Pakistan. The police are investigating [NYT report] the shooting further to determine if it was a sectarian killing.

Zaki’s actions helped led to the investigation and arrest warrant [JURIST report] issued in 2014 for Aziz, head cleric of the Red Mosque [BBC backgrounder] in Islamabad. Aziz was accused of threatening protesters who were unhappy with his support of the Peshawar massacre, which resulted in the deaths of around 150 people, most of whom were children. Violence and rights violations against human rights activists is prevalent worldwide. Earlier this week four men were arrested [JURIST report] in connection with the murder of Berta Cáceres, the founder of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations Honduras (COPINH) and a prominent defender of indigenous rights and the environment. Last month Thailand jailed [JURIST report] eight activists over Facebook posts in opposition of the government and new draft constitution. Also last month a Gambian civil rights activist died [JURIST report] while he was detained for protesting. In April a Chinese civil rights lawyer was disbarred [JURIST report] after he criticized the government on social media.