Sudhir Dhawale
Dhawale, a Mumbai-based activist and journalist, wrote about human rights violations against Dalits in the Marathi-language Vidrohi, a monthly he founded and edited. Police arrested Dhawale in the Wardha district of Maharashtra state, where he had traveled to attend a Dalit meeting, and charged him with sedition under section 124A of the Indian penal code,…
Q&A: Indian journalist Sudhir Dhawale discusses his release from prison
After languishing in jail for 40 months, Mumbai-based journalist and activist Sudhir Dhawale has walked free. Dhawale was the only journalist in jail in India in late 2013, according to CPJ’s annual prison census. With his release, there are currently no other journalists behind bars in the country for work-related reasons.
Indian journalist jailed in Assam state for alleged links to militants
New York, September 8, 2014–An Indian journalist who has been held in police custody for six days was denied bail in court today and faces possible anti-state charges over accusations that he promoted an outlawed separatist group after interviewing its commander, according to news reports.
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, June 2014
CPJ releases annual exile report In the run-up to World Refugee Day on June 20, CPJ brought the human toll of exile to the fore in its annual special report on exiled journalists. The report found that Syria, Ethiopia, and Eritrea are responsible for the most cases of journalists who flee. The report spotlights the…
Attacks on the Press in 2012: India
Violence plagued journalists in northeastern Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh, including four attacks on the Arunachal Times. Tongam Rina, a columnist for the paper, survived a shooting that put her in intensive care for a time. The authorities blocked hundreds of websites they claimed incited ethnic and religious protests in Assam and beyond, but the…
Indian government should repeal sedition law
Dear Prime Minister Singh: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by Indian authorities’ continued abuse of a colonial-era sedition law to stifle freedom of expression. CPJ calls on your government to begin taking action toward repealing the law, section 124A in the Indian penal code, which Indian lawmakers have deemed punitive and outdated.
Indian police arrest reporter who exposed assault
New York, November 9, 2012–An Indian television journalist who documented a large-scale attack on young women and reported the episode to police in Karnataka state has been charged with participating in the assault, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists considers the arrest to be retaliatory and calls on authorities to drop the…
