https://thewire.in/rights/siddique-kappan-pledge-draconian-laws-journalism
As per the Prison Census published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), as on December 1, 2022, seven journalists were imprisoned in India. Most strikingly, six out of seven journalists are charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law that is instead regularly used to stifle dissent of activists and criminalise public interest journalism.
Now, Kappan and another journalist Mohammad Manan Dar, have been released. Another one, Gautam Navlakha, was put under house arrest. There are at least four journalists still languishing in jail and one of them, Aasif Sultan, has spent nearly four-and-half years in Jail. One journalist has been in jail for just over a year, while another will complete one year of imprisonment on Saturday (February 4). The fourth one has been in jail since July last year.
The detention of journalists for such extended periods is possible only because of draconian laws like UAPA, National Security Act (NSA), sedition and the Public Safety Act (PSA). And over the years, Indian authorities have arrested and charged dozens of journalists under draconian laws. Once charged under these laws, it becomes very difficult to avail bail while the trial stretches on for years.
One visible impact of these cases against the journalists is that due to their criminalisation, they have to spend time in jail and lose their jobs. Even if the journalist charged is lucky enough not to be arrested, they end up spending substantial time, money and energy in the courts and litigation, which also distracts them from their job. However, another impact, perhaps the biggest one, is of the chilling effect this has on other journalists. This ultimately and directly affects the quality of journalism. In other words, when speaking truth to power becomes an act of crime, a large number of journalists turn into stenographers.
by Mahtab Alam
03/02/2023