"Stop criminalising free speech, protect journalism: PUCL", 23 June 2020

The Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has issued a statement demanding that criminalising free speech should be stopped and journalism should be protected.

The journalists mentioned in the statement include Supriya Sharma who wrote about the status of the residents of Domari, a village in Varanasi adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It also draws attention to Aakar Patel, columnist and activist who had, in the second week of June, tweeted that dalits, minorities and adivasis should rise up against atrocities when highlighting the civil unrest in the USA in the wake of George Floyd’s death. His twitter account was blocked following a demanded by Karnataka state officials.

...In Gujarat, Dhaval Patel, editor of a Gujarati news portal, was booked and arrested on May 11, 2020, for sedition for allegedly publishing a ‘speculative’ report on the possible change in leadership in the state due to criticism over the rising COVID-19 count.

The statement refers to a report by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group titled 'India: Media’s Crackdown During COVID-19 Lockdown' which reads, “At least 55 journalists faced arrest, registration of FIRs, summons or show causes notices, physical assaults, alleged destruction of properties and threats for reportage on COVID-19 or exercising freedom of opinion and expression during the national lockdown from 25 March to 31 May, 2020”...