India
2020
Indian journalist attacked and newspaper threatened in Tripura state following chief minister’s criticism of press
New Delhi, September 16, 2020 – Authorities in India’s Tripura state should drop any legal threats against publications there, thoroughly investigate attacks on journalists, and guarantee press freedom in the state, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On September 11, state Chief Minister Biplab Deb, a member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, condemned…
CPJ, nearly 400 journalists & civil society members call for release of imprisoned Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 397 writers, journalists, academics, press freedom advocates, and civil society members to urge Prime Minister Modi to immediately release Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been imprisoned for two years.
Outlawing TikTok may not impede journalists, but U.S. and India bans could set a risky precedent
“Allison, can Trump ban TikTok?” Dave Jorgenson, The Washington Post’s self-described “TikTok Guy” asks in an August 3 video on the app. His colleague Allison Michaels responds: “The answer is yes, but how he can do it is kind of complicated…” It would be a typical exchange between journalists, but for the surreal setup: Jorgenson is standing over a birdbath, asking…
Facebook India executive files criminal complaint against journalist
New Delhi, August 19, 2020 – Facebook regional director Ankhi Das should withdraw her criminal complaint against journalist Awesh Tiwari, and respect citizens’ rights to criticize her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 16, Das, Facebook’s public policy director for India, South, and Central Asia, filed a criminal complaint with the cyber…
Journalists with The Caravan magazine assaulted by anti-Muslim crowd in Delhi
New Delhi, August 12, 2020 — Delhi police must thoroughly investigate the attack on three journalists with The Caravan magazine and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 2 p.m. yesterday, a group of people in Delhi’s North Ghonda neighborhood attacked The Caravan reporters Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh,…
Kashmiri journalists describe new government tactics to control the narrative
In April, after Srinagar-based senior journalist Peerzada Ashiq published an article about the families of two militants who wanted to exhume their bodies to perform funeral rites, police in Kashmir launched an investigation and accused him of publishing “fake news.” Ashiq told CPJ that he had sought official comment on multiple channels, but never received…
Jammu and Kashmir authorities detain journalist and editor Qazi Shibli
New Delhi, August 1, 2020 — Jammu and Kashmir police must immediately release Qazi Shibli, editor of news website The Kashmiriyat, from custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Shibli was detained at the Shergarh police station in Srinagar yesterday after questioning by the police’s cybercrime division, according to news reports and a member…
Indian police arrest journalist Sharjeel Usmani in Uttar Pradesh
New Delhi, July 15, 2020 — Uttar Pradesh authorities must immediately release Sharjeel Usmani and drop any charges filed against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 8, anti-terror police officers in Azamgarh, a city in Uttar Pradesh state, arrested Usmani, a freelance reporter and writer at the news collective Maktoob, while…
Indian authorities arrest 2 journalists covering corruption allegations in West Bengal
New Delhi, July 13, 2020 – West Bengal authorities must immediately release journalists Suraj Ali Khan and Safikul Islam, as well as Islam’s wife, Alima Khatun, and drop all the charges against them and investigations into their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 3 a.m. on June 29, police arrested Khan…
Journalists in India assaulted, targeted with investigations amid COVID-19 pandemic
Between April 5, 2020, and June 11, 2020, one journalist was assaulted by police, another had his property destroyed by local authorities in retaliation for his reporting, and at least five others were subject to criminal investigations and, in one case, an interrogation, according to interviews CPJ conducted with five of the journalists and media…