Committee to Protect Journalists writes to PM Modi, urges him to address the matter of jailed journalists

Ahead of International Human Rights Day on December 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking to draw his attention to the matter of journalists imprisoned in the country.

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The CPJ said the “continued detention and harassment of journalists risks eroding India’s reputation as the world’s largest democracy and a leading voice of the Global South”. “To mark International Human Rights Day, we ask that your government take steps to allow all journalists imprisoned in India to return to their families and continue their work without fear of reprisal,” it said.

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“India currently holds two journalists in prison on a combination of security, anti-terror, and State-level criminal charges, CPJ data shows. One of those is Rupesh Kumar Singh, an independent journalist from the State of Jharkhand, who has been imprisoned for more than three years, most recently at Patna’s Adarsh Central Jail,” said the letter.