India Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Committee to Protect Journalists

Police officers are seen Srinagar, Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state, on March 31, 2020. Jammu and Kashmir police recently launched an investigation into journalist Gowhar Geelani. (AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

Jammu and Kashmir police launch investigation into journalist Gowhar Geelani

April 22, 2020 2:00 PM EDT

New Delhi, April 22, 2020 — Authorities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir should stop harassing journalists with police investigations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Kashimiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra. (Masrat Zahra)

Jammu and Kashmir police launch investigations into 2 journalists

April 20, 2020 1:30 PM EDT

New Delhi, April 20, 2020 — Authorities in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir must immediately stop harassing journalists Masrat Zahra and Peerzada Ashiq, and let them report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Indian journalist Gautam Navlakha is seen in Srinagar on December 6, 2012. The Indian Supreme Court recently ordered Navlakha to turn himself in to a prison, which he said he fears due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

Journalist Gautam Navlakha tells CPJ he fears imprisonment amid COVID-19 pandemic

April 9, 2020 4:55 PM EDT

New Delhi, April 9, 2020 — Indian authorities should stop pursuing the arrest of journalist Gautam Navlakha, and should cease holding journalists in jail during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

A police officer walks inside a shelter set up for migrants in Mumbai, India, April 6, 2020. The Indian Supreme Court recently passed a directive in response to alleged fake news that prompted migration in the country. (Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

Lawyer Apar Gupta on what the Indian Supreme Court’s order on COVID-19 coverage means for journalists

April 9, 2020 3:50 PM EDT

On March 31, the Indian Supreme Court passed a directive making it compulsory for news outlets to carry the government’s official version on any news related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workers wearing protective suits disinfect a passenger train on the outskirts of Kolkata, India, on April 6, 2020. Indian freelance journalist Vidya Krishnan recently spoke with CPJ about the challenges of covering the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri)

Indian journalist Vidya Krishnan on navigating harassment and government obstruction while covering COVID-19

April 8, 2020 2:15 PM EDT

Vidya Krishnan, a freelance reporter who has covered healthcare in India for 17 years, says she has never seen the kind of harassment and threats that health reporters have received while covering COVID-19.

Journalist Raihana Maqbool reporting in Kashmir. (Aliya Bashir)

Kashmiri journalist Raihana Maqbool on reporting on COVID-19 amid ongoing restrictions

April 6, 2020 9:24 AM EDT

Journalists in Jammu and Kashmir have spent the past eight months navigating an intense crackdown by Indian authorities in the region, including unprecedented restrictions on communications and the longest internet shutdown in a democracy. Now, they have the added challenge on trying to report on the COVID-19 pandemic. India has instituted a strict 21-day national…

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh state Yogi Adityanath prays in Ayodhya, India, on March 25, 2020. Police in the state launched a criminal investigation into the editor of The Wire for his reporting on the ceremony. (AP/Amar Kumar)

Uttar Pradesh starts criminal probe into The Wire editor for alleged ‘discord’ during COVID-19 lockdown

April 2, 2020 1:25 PM EDT

New Delhi, April 2, 2020—Police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh should immediately withdraw criminal complaints against Siddharth Vardarajan, editor of news website The Wire, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The police opened a criminal investigation into Vardarajan on accusations of spreading discord, enmity, and rumors during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to…

Police officers wield batons against a man for breaking lockdown rules after India ordered a 21-day nationwide lockdown to limit the spreading of coronavirus in New Delhi, India, on March 25, 2020. On March 31, the Indian Supreme Court denied a government request for prior censorship of coronavirus news. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)

Indian Supreme Court denies government request for prior censorship of COVID-19 news

March 31, 2020 5:41 PM EDT

New Delhi, March 31, 2020 – The Indian government should stop trying to censor news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

A police officer stands at a barricade in New Delhi, India, on March 23, 2020. Police in New Delhi and Hyderabad recently assaulted journalists for allegedly violating the cities' lockdowns. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)

Journalists assaulted by police amid coronavirus lockdown in India

March 24, 2020 4:30 PM EDT

New Delhi, March 24, 2020 – Authorities in India must stop assaulting journalists and allow them to do their work freely and without restrictions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

TV screens are seen in a showroom in Mumbai, India, on March 27, 2019. Indian authorities recently issued 48-hour suspensions to broadcasters Asianet News and MediaOne TV. (Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

India temporarily bans 2 news channels over coverage of Delhi riots

March 6, 2020 2:25 PM EST

New Delhi, March 6, 2020 — The Indian government should immediately lift the 48-hour ban imposed on Malayalam-language news channels Asianet News and MediaOne TV, and must stop arbitrarily censoring coverage of sensitive topics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.