India

2012

  
Police beat protesters near India Gate, New Delhi. (AP/Kevin Frayer)

Amid deadly demonstrations, focus on India police

For the safety of journalists and other people on the streets protesting injustice, Indian police must begin in earnest to address how they respond to demonstrations. One journalist died covering protests that have been taking place across the country following the gang rape of a 23-year old female medical student on a Delhi bus on…

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(AFP/Pedro Pardo)

Journalists still murdered where impunity reigns

Almost half of the 67 journalists killed worldwide in 2012 were targeted and murdered for their work, research by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows. The vast majority covered politics. Many also reported on war, human rights, and crime. In almost half of these cases, political groups are the suspected source of fire. There has…

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CPJ

Speak Justice campaign fights impunity in press murders

The tortured and decapitated body of 39-year-old María Elizabeth Macías Castro was found on a Saturday evening in September 2011. It had been dumped by the side of a road in Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican border town ravaged by the war on drugs. Macías, a freelance journalist, wrote about organized crime on social media under…

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Shaheen Dhada, left, and Renu Srinivas, Indian women arrested for their Facebook posts, leave a Mumbai court Tuesday. (AP)

Arrests over Facebook comments fan debate in India

The arrest of two women in India this week because of posting and “liking” an opinion on Facebook has further inflamed debate over the right to freedom of expression in the world’s largest democracy.

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A woman stands next to a banner reading "No more impunity" in Colombia. (AFP/Raul Arboleda)

Will UN plan address impunity, security for journalists?

Here are the facts:A journalist is killed in the line of duty somewhere around the world once every eight days.Nearly three out of four are targeted for murder. The rest are killed in the crossfire of combat, or on dangerous assignments such as street protests.Local journalists constitute the large majority of victims in all groups.The…

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Indian political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi waves the national flag after being released from jail on bail in Mumbai on September 12. (AP/Rajanish Kakade)

Sedition dropped, but Indian cartoonist faces other charges

After intense public pressure, the Maharashtra state government last week dropped the charge of sedition against Indian cartoonist Aseem Trivedi. However, Trivedi still faces other charges as his case resumes tomorrow at the Bombay High court. The 25-year old cartoonist, who was arrested on September 8, could have been sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted of sedition.…

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Supporters of Lingaram Kodopi and his aunt gathered in New York's Union Square on October 4. (CPJ/Sumit Galhotra)

Activists protest imprisonment of Indian journalist

A couple dozen activists gathered this past week in New York City’s Union Square to protest the imprisonment of freelance journalist Lingaram Kodopi and his aunt Soni Sori, who were arrested one year ago in India.

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In Indian Kashmir, concerns over Internet censorship

The government of Indian Kashmir has a long record of failing to respond to physical attacks on the press. This week, the possibility that websites like YouTube and Facebook were blocked indicated that online freedoms, too, are under threat.  

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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh turned 80 on Wednesday. (AP/Saurabh Das)

For India, celebrations not in order on Singh’s birthday

This week, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh marked his 80th birthday. He spent the day, Wednesday, in the company of family and at public events, according to news reports. “There are no celebrations. He prefers to be with his family in the morning–then work as usual,” Singh’s spokesman told the media.

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Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, center, has been charged with sedition. (AP/Rafiq Maqbool)

With new focus on sedition law, India poised at juncture

Although it is the world’s largest democracy, India has retained its colonial-era sedition law. But with a national debate ensuing after the arrest of 25-year-old political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi on the antiquated sedition charge and others, members of the Indian government have been forced to do some soul-searching.

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2012