Fri 08 July 2022:
Germany expressed concern on Wednesday at the detention of Muslim journalist Mohammed Zubair, adding that importance of press freedom “also applies to India.”
“Free reporting is beneficial to any society and restrictions are a cause for concern,” German foreign ministry spokesman Christian Wagner said during a press conference.
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND JOURNALISTS CALL FOR MOHAMMED ZUBAIR’S RELEASE
“Journalists should not be persecuted and imprisoned for what they say and write,” Wagner said, adding that the German embassy in India was “monitoring this very closely.”
He added that Germany would work with its EU partners on the ground, incorporating the issue in their ongoing dialogue with India.
“Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are a focus of those discussions with India,” Wagner said.
India says criticism is ‘unhelpful’
Zubair was arrested days after bringing international attention to controversial remarks made by a ruling party official against Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Critics have said that his arrest is a part of a larger crackdown on free speech in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian government has denied this. On Thursday, Delhi swiftly reacted to the German ministry spokesman’s comments, saying Zubair’s case was a domestic issue.
“un-informed comments “, MEA dismisses remarks by German foreign ministry over arrest of Mohammed Zubair pic.twitter.com/vLsjxL3CJZ
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) July 7, 2022
“Let me emphasize that there is a judicial process underway in this case,” Arindam Bagchi of India’s foreign ministry said, adding that he did not think it would be appropriate for him “or anyone else” to comment on the matter.
“The independence of our judiciary is well recognized and uninformed comments are unhelpful and should be avoided,” he added.
SCRIBES SHOULDN’T BE JAILED FOR WHAT THEY WRITE, TWEET: UN CHIEF’S SPOKESPERSON ON ZUBAIR’S ARREST
Who is Mohammed Zubair?
In 2018, Zubair allegedly made a tweet that offended religious sensitivities, which led to his detention in New Delhi, the capital of India. He is accused of violating the country’s law on religious harmony.
The Muslim journalist has been a prominent opponent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration and is a co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt News.
In addition, Zubair frequently writes about the marginalization of India’s Muslim minority and calls out hate speech on the internet by fringe Hindu organizations.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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