CIVICUS speaks with Geetartha Pathak, president of the Indian Journalists Union (IJU), about the increasing violation of press freedoms in India.
Founded in 1990, the IJU is a leading federation of journalists and associations working to foster free, frank and fearless journalism in India, protect journalists’ rights and personal safety and uphold the public’s right to information.
What are the current conditions for Indian media and journalists?
People who criticise the government, the leaders of the ruling party or their impractical policies are targeted by the ruling class. Indian media and journalists are under tremendous pressure from the government. They face false accusations of sedition, abetting terrorism, corruption and fostering animosity between religious groups in retaliation for their critical coverage of government policies and work. Journalists from media outlets such as Altnews, Newsclick, Scroll and The Wire are particularly vulnerable to these attacks.
Why are the authorities targeting critical media and journalists, and what tactics are they using against them?
Journalists, particularly those from independent media outlets, have criticised the government for adopting communal approaches and reminded the authorities of their constitutional obligation to follow secular policies. Independent media have extensively covered the government’s failures in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, criticised the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act for being discriminatory and opposed recent amendments to the 2021 IT Rules that target online content considered ‘fake’ as a tool to criminalise dissent.
Journalists who do not compromise with the government and expose corruption in high places, hobnobbing by the ruling classes with a handful of corporate honchos and illegal business deals face all sorts of threats, including death threats.
The regime’s typical approach to pressure journalists involves threats, online trolling, criminalisation based on the 1978 Public Safety Act that allows arrests grounded on the alleged need to avert potential harm to ‘state security or public order’, summons of journalists by police and security forces, physical attacks and sometimes attempted murder. The situation is worsening by the day, with an increasing number of journalists being arrested, subjected to raids by police and other law enforcement agencies and facing lawsuits.
There is rampant seizure of personal laptops, phones and other tools from journalists without judicial authorisation and in violation of Supreme Court’s verdicts. Another tactic being used to put pressure on independent journalists is legal harassment through the filing of multiple court cases.
How have journalists and civil society organised in response?
Journalists are responding with mixed reactions. Despite the pressure, some continue their critical coverage, while others have toned down their voices and resorted to self-censorship. Some have surrendered under pressure and quit doing their work.
But this repression has also impacted on the popularity of the ruling party. Academics, social workers, activists and democratic-minded people have broadly criticised the government for curtailing media freedoms. Journalists’ unions and professional bodies have condemned attacks on journalists and the curtailment of press freedoms. They campaign on digital platforms and social media against restrictions on media freedoms, arrests of and attacks on journalists and media workers, internet trolling and legal harassment. They have staged protests in various parts of India.
What international support are Indian media and journalists receiving?
IJU is an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists and consistently collaborates with journalists’ organisations from different countries. Many international journalists and human rights groups have expressed their solidarity with us, inspiring Indian journalists to further confront the challenges. The issue of the government squeezing the media is also raised in different forums of the United Nations. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and other international civil society organisations have also monitored and denounced declining media freedoms in India.
Civic space in India is rated ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with the IJU through its website or its Facebook page, and follow @iju_india on Twitter.
