Condemning Arrest of Leading Indian Journalist Mohammed Zubair |
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June 27th, 2022
Indian police have arrested a leading journalist known for his fact-checking website, Alt News. Mohammed Zubair was arbitrarily detained on Monday for allegedly “disturbing religious harmony.” Justice For All Canada strongly condemns Zubair’s illegal arrest and demands his immediate, unconditional release.
Co-Founder of Alt News, Zubair’s journalistic work is committed to debunking misinformation, disinformation and mal-information on social media and mainstream media in India. The arrest comes less than a week after Twitter received a request from India’s BJP nationalist government claiming that the Alt News co-founder’s account “violated Indian laws.”
Zubair’s arrest also follows the arrest of prominent activist Teesta Setalvad, including others who worked to bring justice to victims of the 2002 Gujarat genocide.
Zubair is among a growing number of Indian journalists facing reprisal for exposing fake news and anti-minority propaganda run by right-wing groups who enjoy patronage under the ruling BJP government. Based on the routine treatment of journalists in India, it's no surprise that Zubair, a prominent Muslim journalist in India, has faced a barrage of harassment, trolling, doxing and even police complaints against him.
“The BJP government continues their assault on freedom of expression. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must demonstrate his commitment to international press freedom by calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed Zubair, Teesta Setalvad, and similar Indian activists targeted for raising awareness,” expressed Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
In just the last 21 months, five criminal cases have been filed against Zubair by right-wing supporters of the BJP government.
Zubair’s arrest is a textbook case of state-sanctioned persecution of minorities and suppression of independent journalism. Notorious Hindu supremacist leaders continue to spread dangerous hate speech on Facebook and Twitter, with almost no police action against them. At the same time, crime-stoppers like Zubair are hounded by Indian police for doing their job.
According to human rights experts, Indian authorities continue to intimidate and harass journalists and news outlets critical of the government:
As many Indian activists call it, this is an undeclared emergency in India.
Indian police have arrested a leading journalist known for his fact-checking website, Alt News. Mohammed Zubair was arbitrarily detained on Monday for allegedly “disturbing religious harmony.” Justice For All Canada strongly condemns Zubair’s illegal arrest and demands his immediate, unconditional release.
Co-Founder of Alt News, Zubair’s journalistic work is committed to debunking misinformation, disinformation and mal-information on social media and mainstream media in India. The arrest comes less than a week after Twitter received a request from India’s BJP nationalist government claiming that the Alt News co-founder’s account “violated Indian laws.”
Zubair’s arrest also follows the arrest of prominent activist Teesta Setalvad, including others who worked to bring justice to victims of the 2002 Gujarat genocide.
Zubair is among a growing number of Indian journalists facing reprisal for exposing fake news and anti-minority propaganda run by right-wing groups who enjoy patronage under the ruling BJP government. Based on the routine treatment of journalists in India, it's no surprise that Zubair, a prominent Muslim journalist in India, has faced a barrage of harassment, trolling, doxing and even police complaints against him.
“The BJP government continues their assault on freedom of expression. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must demonstrate his commitment to international press freedom by calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed Zubair, Teesta Setalvad, and similar Indian activists targeted for raising awareness,” expressed Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
In just the last 21 months, five criminal cases have been filed against Zubair by right-wing supporters of the BJP government.
Zubair’s arrest is a textbook case of state-sanctioned persecution of minorities and suppression of independent journalism. Notorious Hindu supremacist leaders continue to spread dangerous hate speech on Facebook and Twitter, with almost no police action against them. At the same time, crime-stoppers like Zubair are hounded by Indian police for doing their job.
According to human rights experts, Indian authorities continue to intimidate and harass journalists and news outlets critical of the government:
- India ranks 150th on the 2022 World Press Freedom Index
- June 2021—UN human rights experts said BJP-imposed internet regulations don’t conform with international human rights norms.
- In July 2021—over 300 phone numbers of activists, journalists, and lawyers were included on a list of potential targets for advanced Israeli spyware Pegasus.
- In February 2021—India’s government enacted the Information Technology Rules (2021), targeting social media services, digital news services, and video streaming sites. Such laws allow India’s government to exert greater control over online content, weaken encryption and undermine privacy and freedom of expression.
As many Indian activists call it, this is an undeclared emergency in India.